A Displaced Red Robin
by dragonprincess1988
Summary: Tim gets transported to the cartoon Young Justice world, and he's not sure he knows how to deal with it.
1. Chapter 1

Tim lands on a rooftop, and scans his surroundings. His head feels like it's just been put through a juicer, and he's not as steady on his feet as he would like. He knows this feeling well...they all do. It's how ones body always feels after being transported from one world to another, and the residual effects are always worse when said body didn't have any time to prepare. Tim is really getting sick of the unexpected multiverse travel. It always presents such a multitude of problems, and maybe he would think more on that if he wasn't in the middle of trying to find cover while a Robin comes tumbling through the sky towards him.

He'd know those moves and that smile anywhere. It's Dick in a Robin costume that looks a hell of a lot like something Tim would have worn. That thought puts him even more off balance, but not as much as seeing Kon land on the rooftop behind Robin, shortly followed by M'gann. Tim isn't sure his brain can process the idea of Dick being on a team with a roster full of Tim's friends. After all, he's still trying to cope with seeing Damian work with the Titans...even if it was only for one mission. The multiverse is such a strange place, and he's having trouble thinking. There's a whole slew of questions running through his head, and not a single one of them is helpful to his situation.

After all, wondering if Tim Drake was, or will ever be, born isn't exactly going to help him when Robin's scanners inevitably find him crouched down, hidden behind a dumpster, in the alley below the rooftop he was on moments before. Tim isn't sure how to approach the subject of being a former Robin from a different earth. He isn't even sure if this earth has a protocol for that or not. Hell, Tim doesn't even know how to explain how he got here. He knows the effects of traveling through the multiverse, but there are a dozen things that could have caused his spontaneous multiverse travel. In fact, he really doesn't even know where to begin with that one, so staying hidden for as long as possible until he can figure something out seems like Tim's best bet.

It's obvious just from watching Robin, Superboy, and M'gann move that they aren't used to working as a team, which just seems even odder to Tim. He's never seen Dick not know how to function with a team. It's off-putting and strange, and he's not really sure why Bruce would allow it to continue for more than one interaction. Tim knows that, in his own world, the Bruce who raised Dick isn't the same Bruce who trained him. Both Babs and Dick have made that perfectly clear, but Tim guesses he never really fully understood that until right now; or maybe it's just that this Bruce is a different one entirely, and he himself doesn't know how to work on a team yet. Tim isn't sure, but being lost in his thoughts nearly makes him miss the fact that Superboy is standing behind him looking like he wants to grind Tim into the dirt. That isn't an expression that he's used to seeing directed his way from his friend. Tim doesn't need to try to get away to know that he's already surrounded, but it doesn't stop him from wanting to try.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Robin steps closer to him, clearly reaching for something in his utility belt, and Tim has to remind himself that these aren't his friends, and that isn't his older brother.

Tim has no idea what he's going to say to them, but with the way that they're all glaring at him, he thinks that it might be a good idea to start talking. As he moves out of his crouch, he holds his hands up in the air where everyone can see them. "Look, it's hard to explain, but I'm not your enemy."

Kid Flash zooms past him, and skids to a stop beside Robin. "I don't know. You seem really heavily armored for a friendly." Tim can tell just by the way that he's standing that this Kid Flash isn't Bart, which shouldn't make Tim breathe easier, but does all the same.

Tim doesn't mention that he's always been the most heavily armored out of all of the Bat family and all of his friends, especially since he would then have to explain the term Bat family. He's trying to come up with the simplest and quickest explanation for his sudden appearance, but before he gets a chance to tell them anything Aqualad appears from out the shadows behind Kid Flash and Robin. The two of them slide apart to allow Aqualad to get closer to him. "Not to mention whatever means you used to get here caused such a large energy spike that three city blocks are now out of power."

Tim sighs to himself. "Yeah, sorry about that. Multiverse travel always comes with a few unexpected complications."

"What the heck is multiverse travel?" Kid Flash glances at his companions to see if they're as lost as he is, which really isn't making Tim feel any better. With the exception of Robin, who still has his game face on, they're all staring at him as though he's speaking another language.

Tim doesn't see a point in explaining it if he doesn't have to, so instead of answering Kid Flash's question, Tim locks his eyes with Robin's, and ignores the fact that he's taller than Dick, and how absolutely wrong that is. "Robin, Batman has a protocol for this, right? You've heard of multiverse travel, but thought it was just another one of Batman's crazy 'what-if' scenarios, right?" Tim tries to keep the desperation out of his voice, but there's no telling how long he'll be stuck here if they really don't have any knowledge of the multiverse.

Tim isn't sure how old Dick is. He looks about 13, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. Tim wonders if Dick can tell exactly where his eyes are locked onto his from behind the mask...if he can tell how much Tim is desperately hoping for some good news here...if he can read Tim's expression despite the cowl. Tim can tell that Dick's eyes flash to the others surrounding him, before settling back on Tim. "We should call Batman." It's the only response he's going to get, and Tim's okay with that.

Aqualad turns back towards Robin, but not before giving Superboy a signal that clearly means watch the new guy, which Tim understands. He'd actually be rather insulted right now if they weren't at least mildly wary of him. However, that still doesn't mean that he's comfortable with seeing Kon staring at him as though he's only mere moments from breaking every bone in Tim's body. "We should handle this ourselves." Aqualad seems truly annoyed with the prospect of calling Batman, which...it's Batman, so that makes sense to Tim, at least a little.

Robin shakes his head. "I don't think so...not this time."

Kid Flash gets between the two of them. "Is anyone going to answer my question? What the heck is multiverse travel? Who the heck is this guy? And what does he want?"

Robin glares at Kid Flash. "Look, it's just one of Batman's theories. I don't even know if it's possible, or..."

Before Robin can finish his sentence, M'gann slides closer to the group. "I could find out, if you want?"

"You mean read his mind." Superboy seems really annoyed with that plan. Although, Tim isn't sure why.

Aqualad gives a curt nod, and M'gann steps closer to him. Tim is well versed with the sensation of someone trying to read his mind, and while he could use what he's learned from Bruce to keep her out, he knows that it's just easier and more expedient to let her in. However, that doesn't mean that he's going to give her an all access pass to his mind. After a few minutes she moves away from him. "He's from a different earth. He doesn't know how he got here, and all he wants is to go back to his own world."

Robin folds his arms over his chest, and glares. "That's not good enough. How do we know that he isn't a bad guy back in his world? What's his name?"

M'gann looks really reluctant to speak, but after a few moments she whispers. "He was trained by the Batman in his world. I couldn't get his name, but he did let me know that he goes by Red Robin. Also, he didn't reveal what it is, but he made it clear that, if that wasn't enough for you, he knows your name Robin...your real name."

Robin stares at him like he's suddenly grown two heads. "That's it! We're calling Batman."

Kid Flash glares at Robin. "I thought we decided that Aqualad was the leader."

Tim blinks a few times at that, because...well, that's just interesting. It's not as though he hasn't noticed the subtle hints, and didn't recognize that clearly Aqualad is the leader of this team, but it's still peculiar to have a Robin on the team, and not have him be the leader at some point or another. Although, it's not that outlandish considering everything that's been going on back on his own earth. Robin glances at Aqualad with a pleading expression, and Aqualad nods. "Robin, go contact Batman. Superboy keep a close watch on our new guest. M'gann contact Red Tornado, and let him know that we found the source of the power outage. Kid, find out how long it's going to take to return power to the effected areas, and make sure that everyone has enough supplies to get through the blackout."

The team disperses, and Tim feels a little admiration for Aqualad. He's clearly a good leader, despite it being obvious that he hasn't led this team for long. It's interesting watching the dynamic of this team. Everyone is so much like their counterparts on his world, and yet so different. Tim still isn't sure how to deal with Superboy. He doesn't know how long this version has been around...doesn't know how much this one has learned about himself yet. It's tempting to ask, and maybe even tell him a few things that might save this team from some of the stuff that Tim's team had gone through, but there's no way of knowing if that stuff will even happen here. Clearly, this world varies greatly from his own.

It doesn't take long, all things considered, for the team to meet up after accomplishing their individual assignments. Robin is standing by Aqualad, glaring at Tim. Tim would laugh if he didn't think that it'd get him a batarang thrown at his head. "Batman said to bring him back to HQ, and he'd meet us there."

The entire team is tense, and no one is happy with this plan. Everyone looks about two seconds away from trying to take him down, which Tim completely understands. Each and every one of them keeps their distance, and seems to be extremely wary of him. He's well aware that it's probably the cowl and the armor, but it still makes him feel a little awkward. He's not used to seeing non-criminals look at him like that. "Sorry guys, it's not like this is what I had planned for my Saturday either." He tries to lighten the mood, which is just strange, because that's one) Robin's job and two) Dick's job, and there happens to be a Dick Grayson/Robin sitting three seats away from him, so Tim isn't sure why he's even trying.

When they get to what this teams calls HQ, Robin has to hack the systems in order to allow Tim inside. It takes Robin thirty seconds longer than it would have taken Tim, which he finds fascinating, and yet expected...given that the Dick on his world is completely capable of everything Tim can do with computers he just doesn't enjoy it the way Tim does, and Tim is almost always faster. When they manage to get inside, Tim isn't surprised to find Batman there, waiting for them. He doesn't even bother addressing the team. Instead, he heads straight over to interrogate Tim, which is predictable. "How did you get here?"

There's about ten different answers Tim could give for that one question, but he's fairly certain that giving curt responses will probably yield the best results. "No idea."

Batman glares at him disbelievingly. "What are your primary objectives?"

Tim wants to roll his eyes, and tell Batman to do this in private, that way, they can get to the questions Bruce really wants to ask, but goes with the current pace of the interrogation anyway. "Getting home."

Batman is quiet for a moment before speaking again. "How old are you?"

Tim is caught off-guard by the question. He doesn't think that it's something that his Bruce would ever ask, and he's not really sure why this one did. "Seventeen."

Batman looms over him a little more, and Tim just stares at him. He got used to the intimidating Bat glare years ago. "You're not afraid of me."

It's not a question, but Tim answers anyway. "No, I'm not."

Batman grunts, and Tim almost smirks, but catches himself. He forgot how much fun it can be to confuse people just by being. "Stay here until we figure out what to do with you."

Tim nods once, but he's well aware of what that order actually means. It's 'stay here until we verify that you aren't a threat.' He really wants to ask if Bruce has any idea how to send him home, but Tim doesn't want to be disappointed so soon, so he simply watches with the rest of the team as Batman walks away. When Tim turns around to face the rest of them, Kid Flash is in his face. "I don't trust you."

Tim simply nods. "Quite frankly, I'd be disappointed if you did."

Kid Flash moves away from him after that, clearly confused by the statement. Robin looks him over for a moment. "Well, one thing's for certain...you were definitely trained by _a_ Batman."

M'gann stares at him, but doesn't seem to want to interact with him, and that's just fine with Tim. The fewer people he has to deal with, the better. He just wants to go back home where at least, when things don't make sense, he has some chance of figuring them out. Here everything is just different, which just means it's a new form of complicated. Tim really didn't think that he needed his life to become any more complicated than it normally is...and has been for a while. Aqualad left the room the moment he got the chance, which Tim thinks is odd for the leader to do, but he's already seen plenty of evidence to suggest that this team isn't really much of a team at all...yet, anyway. Superboy is still keeping close to him, and still seems like he's only moments away from dismantling Tim. It's more disconcerting than he thought it would be, but it's not something that Tim is incapable of dealing with.

When he moves, each of them stops and stares. Robin immediately moves into a defensive posture, Superboy clenches his fists, and Kid flash gets ready to run. It almost makes Tim laugh, because all he did was shift from one foot to the other. This team is very jumpy, so Tim decides to pick a nice defensive spot on the floor and start meditating. He hopes Batman has started on plans to get him home, but Tim doubts it's going to be easy.

After an hour of meditation, with Superboy staring daggers at him, Tim shifts his left shoulder. It hurts from whatever hit him before he was transported to this earth, but he's managed to ignore the pain until now. Superboy sits down in front of him. "What are you doing?"

Tim glances at him as he rolls his shoulder. "Well, I was mediating, but my shoulder is acting up."

Superboy stares at him blankly for a moment, before his expression shifts into something else, and Tim knows that expression well...he's seen it on Kon's face more times than he can count. Superboy wants to ask Tim something, but he isn't sure if he should. Tim's so used to this type of behavior that without even thinking he sighs out loud. "What do you want to ask me, Conner?"

The name just slips out, especially since it's been awhile since Tim has been in a situation where he needed to call Conner anything else. Tim really wants to hate himself, but doesn't really have time to, before he's being slammed against a wall. "What? What did you just call me?"

Tim gasps out a breath, and tries to calm the kid down. "Sorry, I'm just used to hanging out with my Superboy...slipped...sorry." The arm against his throat presses down a little harder, and Tim is seriously going to start seeing dark spots soon if he doesn't get any air. This Superboy clearly isn't used to pulling his strength, which is extremely problematic for Tim right now.

After a few moments Superboy drops him on the ground, before Tim can pass out. "So, there's a Superboy on your world, and he...he has a name?"

Tim shakes his head trying to clear the blurry vision, and barely registers the question. "What? Yeah, of course..." And that's when it dawns on Tim that this Superboy really is new, and doesn't even have a name other than Superboy yet. Tim feels like he just cheated this boy out of something, and he wants to apologize, but before he can Superboy steps away from him, and mutters a small apology. Tim wants to tell him that he doesn't have anything to apologize for, but he can't really get enough air into his lungs yet.

Robin steps closer to him as Superboy retreats out of the room. "What was that all about?"

Tim just stares at him for a moment, and tries to remember that he's only one misstep away from being considered the enemy here. Tim shakes his head slightly. "I...I think I just accidentally told him his name."

Tim isn't really sure what response that's supposed to get him, but he doesn't expect the confused pout that Robin flashes him. "What do you mean?"

Tim sighs to himself. Dick has never really been good at masking his emotions, and Tim certainly didn't think a younger Dick Grayson would be any better...even one from such a different world. But it's still frustrating to see it this close and without a camera lens between him and those expressions. Tim really doesn't want to tell them anymore than he already has, but after that lovely screw-up, he feels compelled to fill Robin in at least a little bit. "On my world, Superboy is one of my best friends, and we call him Conner." Tim isn't about to tell anyone here where that name came from or anything else. After all, the day Kon got his name was one of the best days of his life, and Tim isn't about to take that away from this Superboy anymore than he already has.

Robin stares at him, and Tim is pretty sure that he's blinking rapidly behind the mask. "So, it's confirmed then...you really are one of the good guys."

Tim just nods, and doesn't mention how that doesn't mean anything, especially since he's seen a future where that really wasn't the case. However, now really isn't the best time to be thinking about that future, or really anything other than getting home. He just hopes that this Bruce is as paranoid as his own, and has a reason to work quickly in order to get Tim home, as opposed to wanting to learn more from him, and thus taking his time with finding the right earth and such. The last thing Tim wants is to be here longer than strictly necessary, so that Batman can interrogate him more thoroughly. He's almost starting to miss dealing with Damian just because it's easier than dealing with these people.

Tim pulls himself out of his reverie enough to notice that Robin is still focusing on him, and generally looking like he wants more information...information that Tim isn't willing to give. Before Robin can even make an attempt to ask him something invasive Tim heads him off and tries not to think about how good he is at that from doing it so often with his own Dick. "Is there any chance I could talk to Batman more? I could probably help with the plan to get me back home. I only have a rudimentary understanding of the physics needed, but it's better than nothing."

Robin laughs at him. If he wasn't Dick, Tim might actually respond to it with more than just a raised eyebrow. "First, you have to be the only person who actually wants to spend more time with Batman, and second, I can tell that you're raising an eyebrow under that cowl and it's creepy."

Tim shrugs slightly. "I'm told that often."

Robin smiles at him sharply. "I'm sure you do. You remind me of him, you know?"

"Of Bru...I mean, Batman? Yeah, I know. I'm told that often, too." Tim mentally berates himself for that slip-up too. He doesn't know why he's having so many problems keeping things compartmentalized. It's not normally this difficult, but well...dealing with Dick always adds too many degrees of difficulty to any situation. Tim feels as though the fact that it's apparently universal, and age doesn't seem to matter, should have been predictable-and he's already adjusting his mental notes to account for such dilemmas in the future-but that's not helping him deal with his current situation.

Robin gives him that 'I should be on high alert' expression again. "Wait, you know Batman's name, too?"

Tim just nods, and tries to ignore the tension headache that's steadily increasing in intensity. "Yeah, I've known it for longer than he's known I've existed, but that's a long story."

Robin scrutinizes him for a moment, before his entire face softens and brightens into a blinding smile. "Well, if you're here long enough, and Batman doesn't use you as a practice dummy, I'd like to hear it." Before Tim gets a chance to respond Robin leaves the room.

Tim just stares at the back of Robin's retreating form, and doesn't say anything. He doesn't have any intention of telling anyone here anything more than he needs to. Although, he's been failing pretty miserably at that for the entire day, so he's not really sure what good having that conviction will do him. He wouldn't be himself if he didn't at least try...right? If Dick...his Dick was here, he'd be mocking Tim for his stunning lack of composure, and asking where the kid who can lie to Batman is-and Tim really wouldn't have an answer for him. Tim has no idea why being here and dealing with everyone is so difficult for him. He feels like he's falling off a building without a jump line and can't get enough air into his lungs to even call for help. It's disconcerting, and a new kind of vertigo-one that he doesn't know how to deal with-and it's leaving him feeling raw and open in a way that he doesn't know how to deal with.

All Tim has is the vain hope that this Bruce will somehow manage to find a way to get him back home before something far more disastrous than a minor power outage can happen. After all, spontaneous multiverse travel usually precedes something on the world-ending side of the terrible crisis spectrum, and Tim would much rather be on his own earth if he's going to have to deal with something of that scale. Right now, however, all Tim can do is wait, and try not to screw-up anymore than he already has while he's stuck on this earth with this team. Normally that goal wouldn't seem so unattainable, but Tim is pretty sure that he's allowed to give himself a break...especially after everything that's been going on in his life lately. He really misses Dick right now, and can't help but feel like he'd be handling this entire situation far better than Tim is. Tim wants to go home, and he has no idea when he's going to stop sounding like Dorthy, but it'd be nice if it could happen sooner rather than later. He just can't help missing what this world doesn't have, and, in this immediate instance, that's his older brother.

The End


	2. Chapter 2

He's been here a week, and he's starting to go stir crazy. He hasn't been allowed to leave the HQ, but that's typical procedure, so Tim isn't all that annoyed about that aspect of his imprisonment-and he can't really call it anything else. There is someone watching him at all times, and it's really starting to get annoying. Right now he's being watched by Superboy, who is better than the others, because Superboy doesn't seem to be very talkative, nor does he seem to want to ask Tim questions. But Tim still needs his alone time, and he's gone a week with virtually none.

He gets to spend his time training, reading, or generally being bored out of his mind, and through it all, there's always someone there keeping an eye on him. M'gann at least tries to be friendly with him, but it's clear that she's just as socially awkward as he is. Kaldur spends most of his time watching Tim, wanting to ask him questions, but keeping them to himself for one reason or another. Wally-and it didn't take Tim long to figure out which Flash he was, even if M'gann did let the others names slip-spends his time glaring at Tim and generally being annoying in the way that most speedsters are when they're bored. It'd be fun to mock him for certain things if it didn't remind Tim so much of Bart. And that just makes him miss his own world.

He hasn't seen Batman once since his initial conversation with him (if that could be called a conversation) and all requests to speak to the man have yielded no results. Tim guesses he should just be happy that someone was considerate enough to bring him civvies to wear, because even he would have a problem wearing the same suit for an entire week. Robin was also kind enough to lend him a mask and a pair of highly reflective sunglasses to conceal his identity. It's a gesture of friendship, really, and it's so strange for Dick of all people to be that subtle when Tim's so used to blinding smiles and full-body hugs. This Dick Grayson just isn't as open or as physical contact driven as Tim's Dick is, and it all just seems so very wrong.

This Robin is still in need of physical contact. It's just that this Dick seems to get that physical contact in far more subtle and stealthy ways than Tim's Dick ever did. He uses training exercises, spars, and fights to get the contact that he so desperately needs, and if Tim was a different person, perhaps a better person, he'd find ways to convince this team to be more open with each other, so that Dick didn't have to pretend that every hit he took was just a lucky shot. It's disconcerting in ways that Tim never really fully considered, and the fact that Bruce hasn't noticed-or more importantly done something about it-is even more worrisome.

It doesn't really matter, though, because there's nothing that he can do about it, and worrying about all of that stuff certainly isn't going to get him home any sooner. He needs to talk to this Bruce, and find out how long it's going to take, or if it's even possible to send him back. Tim doesn't like to think about what will happen if they can't get him home. On the one hand, it's not like he's really needed back home. After all, there are plenty of people willing and able to protect Gotham, and he's pretty sure that, if he was forced to stay here indefinitely, he'd be able to leave the damn headquarters once in awhile. On the other hand, it still fills him with an overwhelming sadness at the possibility of never seeing the people he knows and loves again. Tim shudders at the thought, and he's not sure if it's because of his own fear or due to his memory of what this Dick does to the English language on a regular basis. Still he knows it could be worse. He could be stuck listening to 'holy' jokes all of the time, so Tim figures he should just be grateful for that, at least.

When he gets off the couch to get a glass of water, Superboy follows him with his eyes until he returns to his seat. They've worked out a system, so that Superboy-and sometimes it's so hard not to refer to him as Kon or Conner-doesn't have to get up every time Tim simply moves. When Tim's going to leave the room he gives Superboy a hand signal, and the two of them walk in companionable silence to Tim's next destination. Tim's also just happy that he gets to sleep without someone watching...well, other than the security cameras, but he's used that.

Tim's gotten tired of pretending to watch television, and he's pretty sure that Superboy isn't really watching it either, so he gives the hand gesture, and heads for the library. Superboy seems to enjoy the library just as much as Tim does. He doesn't always read while they're there, but he seems to enjoy the quiet solitude, and just generally being away from the others as much as Tim does. Sometimes, if Tim's found something to read that he knows his Conner would have enjoyed, he gives it to Superboy, and tells him that it just seems like something he might like. So far, Tim's found a few things that Superboy didn't seem completely bored with while reading, which he thinks is something-but he doesn't know for sure. It's not like they really talk, and Tim's not even sure if it's possible to actually talk with anyone here. The only person he would feel comfortable enough with telling anything won't see him for whatever reason. Tim doesn't know why Batman's ignoring him, but he can tell that the man is, and there's really no way on any earth to get a Batman to stop ignoring you short of calling in Alfred, and Tim's pretty sure that that would just be impossible, messy, and probably an all-around bad idea.

The two of them settle down on opposite sides of the room. Tim has subtly been looking for higher level physics books while he's been doing some leisure reading, but so far he hasn't found anything that even looks slightly helpful to getting him home. Superboy mostly just watches him read, when he isn't reading himself. Today seems to be a reading day, however, since Superboy has picked up an Encyclopedia of Science. Tim raises his eyebrow, but doesn't say anything. That seems to be something Tim would more interested in than Superboy, but the boy settles down on the floor with his legs folded underneath him and starts reading, so Tim figures he's probably just trying to learn more about the world around him. Tim picks his book up again, and resumes reading. They aren't there long, before they're both called to back the main room by Red Tornado.

Tim's hoping for some type of news about his current situation, so when he walks into the room to find Black Canary there staring at them with an extremely commanding expression, it's a bit of an understatement to say that he's surprised. She nods to Superboy, and gives him the tiniest of smiles as a greeting, before turning back to him. "Batman wants me to spar with you today." It's obvious from the way that she's looking at him that she thinks that this is a bad idea, and really didn't readily agree to this. Tim has to wonder how Bruce managed to convince her...or maybe he just ordered her to do as she was told. Tim doesn't know, but he really wants to find out.

He doesn't say anything to her. He hasn't had that many dealings with the Black Canary back on his world, all things considered, nor has he really sparred with her all that much, either, so he can't even begin to postulate why this Batman defers to her for the team's training. Tim nods to her and moves into a ready position. He's in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. He has on one of Robin's masks, and his belt is hidden under the waistband of the sweats. He hasn't been comfortable enough to walk around this place without it-or his boots, for that matter-so at least Tim knows he won't get too damaged if this spar somehow turns into a real fight. So many of his spars so often do, but that's with the people back on his own world, and, more often than not, those people are some definition of family, so he's reasonably sure that it won't be an issue.

They start off the spar by testing each other. It's clear from her posture that she expects him to make rookie mistakes...mistakes that children make-mistakes that these children often make, and it's tempting to just go with that-to pretend to be less knowledgeable than he really is, but he can't. He knows that this is just as much of a test from her as it is from Batman-possibly even more so, since it was his idea in the first place-and it doesn't matter which earth he's on, which Batman is testing him, or anything else. If he's facing a test from any Batman, he has to give his all, because anything less would be unacceptable. He doesn't expect her to fight like the Black Canary from his world. After everything that he's seen to prove that none of these people are really all that much alike to their counterparts on his world, it would just be silly to expect her to fight the same way. So, instead of treating her like Black Canary, he treats her as though she's a completely new opponent, because she basically is.

He dodges a strike that he's seen his own Batman use countless times, which is intriguing to say the least, and then he gets into a defensive position. He's letting her control the spar-for now. After all, it's far too tempting to find out what else she's learned from Batman. She feigns a punch to his face, and goes for a sweep, which reminds him a little too much of Dick right now. Tim back flips away from the sweep, and then rolls out of the way of her elbow. "You're letting me dictate the fight."

Before she can finish her lecture he spins and kicks out. "That's what you think." He already knows that she's going to slide out of the way of it and go for a grab just by the way that she's standing, and suddenly Tim is missing Cassandra a whole hell of a lot right now. He lets Canary grab him, and when she tosses him, Tim uses the momentum to turn in midair, and throws three batarangs. He lands perfectly, pulls a smoke pellet out, and throws it so that it lands just in front of her feet. The entire training area fills with smoke, and Tim smirks to himself. "Still think that you're the one dictating this fight?" He waits for her to attack the place he was when he spoke, and then moves.

He tosses another batarang to distract her, too high and to the left, and then he goes for a sweep. It's not surprising when she hits the ground hard, and then Tim's on top of her, and has her pinned perfectly. He's about to call the spar over when he's suddenly yanked off of her, and thrown against a wall. Superboy has his arm across Tim's neck again pressing down hard, and all Tim can think is that someone needs to talk to this boy about controlling his strength, because there's no air getting in or out of Tim's lungs right now, and if he wasn't trained by a Batman he'd be blacking out right about now.

"It's okay. Let him go. It was just a spar, and he was just doing what he was taught to do." Black Canary has her hand on Superboy's shoulder, clearly trying to tug his arm away.

Superboy glances back at her before glaring back at Tim. "He used tricks."

Black Canary nods at him very patiently, and Tim kind of wants to hate her right now, because he still can't breathe. "Yes, he did, but to be honest, I was treating him like an untrained child, and that wasn't fair of me. He was simply teaching me a lesson."

Superboy lets him go, but looks like he still really wants to hit Tim or possibly just choke him to death. "But, you're the mentor, so he shouldn't be trying to teach you anything."

She shakes her head at him, and smiles fondly. "Sometimes children are the best teachers of all."

Superboy stares at her obviously confused by her statement. "If you say so."

She moves past Superboy, and helps Tim to his feet. "You did well, and I apologize for not treating you as a worthy opponent."

Tim holds up a hand to signal that he needs a moment before responding, and then coughs a few times. "It's okay. I've spent most of my crime-fighting career being underestimated. It's how most of us survive."

Black Canary stares at him for a moment as though she's not sure how to take that. "You refer to it as a career...interesting."

Tim smirks at her for a moment. He's well aware that anyone who's been doing this for any significant amount of time does, and he's pretty sure that that mindset transcends universes. "Don't we all?"

She nods at him for a moment, before turning back to Superboy. "Why don't you work with Red Robin, here, while I go check on a few things? I'll be right back." Before she leaves the room she glances back at Tim. "And don't be afraid to show him some more of the stuff that you just showed me. I've been working with him on a few things, but I think you two could really learn a lot from each other."

Tim doesn't get a chance to ask what she thinks he needs help with. He always loves improving himself, and if he can learn something from this world...well, then at least his time here won't be a complete and total waste. He turns back to Superboy, who doesn't seem pleased with the turn of events at all. Tim sighs, and fully expects this spar to turn into an all out fight. "Has Black Canary ever worked with you with staffs before?"

Superboy nods at him, but doesn't lighten up any. "Yeah, a few times."

Tim's not surprised. Most people like to have something between them and a super strong meta while fighting, even if it is just during a spar. "Do you mind if I use one with you now? I'm a little over hand-to-hand combat for right now."

Superboy nods again, and moves into a ready position. "Yeah, it's fine. Let's just get this over with, and I'd prefer if you didn't use any of your little tricks with me."

Tim raises an eyebrow at him as he pulls out his staff. "I assume you mean the smoke pellets, right?"

Superboy nods once again. "Yeah."

Tim inclines his head slightly. "Okay, I won't, but if you can pull your strength for me that'd be great."

Superboy seems to consider that for a long moment before giving him one final nod. "I can do that...I think."

Tim gestures for him to start the spar. "We can work on it, if you want."

Superboy moves in quickly, and Tim blocks the first kick with his staff, ducks under the punch, and jumps out of range of the sweep that he obviously learned from Black Canary. "You can do that?"

"Do what?" Tim questions as he moves out of the way of an elbow that probably would have left him seriously injured.

"Help me control my strength and stuff."

Tim nods as he spins away from another vicious kick. "Yeah, I...I helped my Superboy learn to control his powers when we were younger. He had a lot of trouble with it at first, but he's completely in control of himself now."

Superboy stares at him, disbelieving, as he absorbs a hit from Tim's staff. "And you trust him not to lose that control?"

Tim could hear the obvious emotion in Superboy's tone. Clearly, this was something that this boy worried about a lot. "Yes, I trust him completely. He's my best friend, and there's no one I trust more...a few I trust equally, but no one more so."

Superboy seems to consider that for a long moment as he blocks hits from Tim's staff with his forearms. "So, does that mean you can help me with my landings, too? I have a problem touching down...softly."

Tim chuckles to himself at the memory of the first time that Kon almost went through every floor in the tower. "Yeah, I can help with that, too."

"Great." Superboy smiles at him for the first time since he's arrived on this earth, and Tim can't help but smile back.

The End (for now)


	3. Chapter 3

It's been two days since he started training with Superboy, and it's already extremely obvious that Tim's going to have to work with him on controlling his anger if he's ever going to have the control that Conner has. Tim doesn't know why this Superboy is so angry all of the time, and he honestly doesn't even know how to broach the subject; but Tim's well aware that it's something that has to be done...sooner, rather than later. They're in the training area. They have been for most of the day, and Tim is really starting to wonder if he should have Superboy list his powers for him, because other than the typical Superboy strength, he hasn't seen much of anything else. Tim isn't sure if Superboy is just holding them back, or if he just doesn't have as many powers as Kon yet. He can't imagine it's the former, because of the lack of control the kid seems to have in general, but it's a possibility. It seems a little weird to Tim that there hasn't been the slightest hint of TTK yet, and he's starting to honestly wonder if this Superboy will ever develop that particular power.

Tim has Superboy tossing fruit to him in order teach him how to handle things with less strength. Superboy seems to be getting increasingly more frustrated every time he crushes one of the apples, and the entire room smells like citrus thanks to all of the oranges he managed to smash into the wall earlier. The angrier Superboy gets, the more Tim wants to smile. It's really going to be torture for the boy when they switch to eggs. The thought is enough to make Tim want to smirk evilly, but instead he just tosses another apple to Superboy, who catches it without turning it into applesauce. "You're doing better. Do you want to stop for the day? We've been here for hours, and this room is starting to smell like a particularly ripe fruit salad."

Superboy shakes his head. "No, lets keep going."

Tim shrugs, and motions for him to pass him the apple again. So far, they've only managed to volley a handful of times before the fruit inevitably gets crushed, either by Superboy catching it too roughly, or by his throwing it so hard that Tim is forced to dodge if he doesn't want to be covered in fruit and bruises. They're on the tenth toss for this particular apple when Kaldur walks into the room. "Is it customary for land dwellers to throw fruit at each other?"

Superboy loses his concentration, and the next catch has apple bits spraying all over his face and chest. Before Superboy can get angry enough to punch something...or Kaldur for that matter, Tim moves to clasp a hand on his shoulder. "You did good, really good. We managed to get ten tosses on that one."

Superboy looks like he's caught between wanting to growl and hit something, and wanting to just sigh and walk away. Instead he turns his attention to Kaldur. Given that two days ago he would have just put his fist through a wall and walked away, Tim considers that quite an improvement in such a short time. "Red Robin is teaching me to control my strength."

Kaldur stares at Tim for a moment. "And this has what to do with crushing fruit?"

Tim breathes out a laugh. "The goal is to toss the fruit gently enough that it doesn't get damaged, eventually we'll work up to tossing eggs."

Tim's pretty sure that he just saw Superboy pale a little, and it makes Tim want to smirk a whole hell of a lot. "Eggs? Really?"

Tim nods at Superboy's obvious wary tone. "Probably not for a while, but eventually. Anyway, you should go get cleaned up, while I start taking care of this mess." Tim gestures to the room at large, and suddenly he misses Alfred more than usual.

Superboy doesn't say anything else before leaving, and Tim goes to gather supplies to start cleaning the training area. He's not surprised when Kaldur follows him, but he is surprised that, when they return to the room, Kaldur starts to help him. After all, it's not really his fault Tim chose such a messy training activity. After a few moments of silence, Kaldur stops scrubbing at the obliterated orange on the wall. "What can you teach me?"

Tim is so caught off-guard by the question that he nearly drops the scrub brush that he's using. "What do you mean?"

Kaldur stares at him seriously for a long moment. "It's clear that you're a natural born leader-much like Robin-but unlike him, you are used to leading. I know I am not the best leader, or the one that this team deserves, but I wish to become better for them."

Tim shakes his head. "I don't think that you're a bad leader by any stretch of the imagination. You're exactly what this team needs and deserves. It's just that this team is new-both to you and to each other. It's going to take time for all of you to become comfortable enough with each other to work in the way that your team needs to. I don't really know how much I can teach you versus what you'll have to learn on your own, just from being around them more, but I'm willing to work with you on anything that you feel you need to improve on."

Kaldur stares at the smashed fruit on the wall for a moment before answering. "I think I need to learn how treat them like operatives while we're out and friends while we're here. It's hard when some of them act so...child-like."

Tim smiles to himself. "You're talking about Kid Flash and Robin now, aren't you?" At Kaldur's nod, Tim continues. "Look, I don't know either one of them all that well, but I can tell you this. If this Robin is anything like his counterpart on my world, he won't grow up all that much...no matter how old he gets. He'll always make groan-worthy jokes-even in the midst of a battle-but that doesn't mean that he isn't fully capable of doing what needs to be done and taking orders. And, as far as Kid Flash goes, well, I feel confident that he'll eventually grow out of it. Learning to separate my leader duties from my friend duties took a long time, and I'm not really sure I've ever really perfected it, but...I'll help you as much as I can."

Kaldur nods once again as he starts scrubbing the wall once more. "Thank you."

Tim shakes his head again and smiles ruefully. "No, thank you. You really didn't have to help me clean this mess."

Kaldur gives him a small smile. "That's what friends are for."

Tim pauses for a second before inclining his head, and returning to cleaning the floor. He isn't sure when Kaldur started thinking of him as a friend, but Tim doesn't say anything. After all, if he's going to be stuck here for a long time, it'd be nice for this team to think of him as such, even if it makes him miss all of his friends back home even more. "Yeah, I guess."

Once Superboy has finished changing, he comes back and starts helping them clean without a word. Tim is actually feeling rather relaxed, all things considered. The three of them work silently together, and it isn't long before M'gann enters the room, too. "What happened in here? She glances at the room, and sniffs the air a little. "And why does it smell like a fruit salad?"

"It was a training session." Superboy replies before either Tim or Kaldur gets a chance.

M'gann glances around the room, which they aren't even halfway done cleaning yet. "Must have been some training session. Do you want some help finishing up?"

The boys all smile and nod at her. Tim stands up to hand her another scrub brush. "You don't have to. I'm sure you have better things to do, but if you want to, your help would be greatly appreciated."

M'gann blushes slightly as she grabs the scrub brush off of him. "I don't have anything else to do, besides I don't mind helping."

The four of them work quietly together for awhile, before M'gann sighs at a particularly tough orange stain on the wall. "I wish Wally was here. I'd bet he'd have this done in no time."

Kaldur doesn't even pause in what he's doing to respond. "Yeah, or he'd start throwing soapy water on people, and then we'd just have twice as much to clean up."

M'gann laughs at that. "Yeah, that's true. He does have a way of making a mess of things sometimes."

Superboy grunts in agreement. "I think this room is going to smell like fruit for weeks."

Tim smirks to himself. "Just think of how it'll smell when we switch to eggs."

All three of the others groan at that, and M'gann turns to face him. "Can't you pick something a little less messy?"

Tim holds up his hands in the air defensively. "It's the best way for him to learn, and, believe it or not, I'm the tidy Robin."

M'gann stares at him for a moment. "Wait...there are other Robins where you're from?"

Tim doesn't really know how to answer that. He doesn't really want to go into detail, for fear that the others will reveal that little tidbit to this Robin. Tim can only imagine how much that information will screw with such a young Dick Grayson's head. He knows that this Dick probably still believes he'll always be Robin. "Um, sort of...people grow up...grow into new roles, you know?"

M'gann loos like she doesn't know what to say to that, so instead of saying anything, she just shakes her head and switches the subject. "Well, if you're the tidy Robin, I'd hate to see the others."

The other two nod in agreement as they continue cleaning, and Tim can't help but laugh. It doesn't take too much longer with the four of them working together to finish cleaning the room. It still smells strongly of fruit once they're done, but now it has the added scent of chemicals from the cleaner they used. Tim thinks about working on a better ventilation system in here, but he'll need the blueprints of the room, and he has a feeling that request won't go over well. He considers discussing the matter with Robin the next time that he sees him, but Tim doesn't want to give any of them a reason to distrust him anymore than he needs to.

The four of them head out of the room together, and Tim is almost tempted to ask which one of them is on 'watch the creepy Red Robin' duty, but before he gets a chance, Red Tornado calls them to the entrance room. Well, to be fair, he calls the other three, but it's not like he's really allowed to walk around the place alone, so he follows along like a good little former Robin. When they get to the entrance room, Red Arrow is standing there, looking extremely annoyed with the wait. Tim is a little startled by his appearance.

It hadn't occurred to him that if Robin is only 13, then Roy would have to be only a few years older. It takes Tim a moment to recover. After all, being taller than Dick was weird, but being able to stand eye to eye with Roy Harper is just awkward, and then Tim remembers something. He tries to be as subtle as possible while looking for obvious signs of drug use. It doesn't look as though this Roy has gone down that path...at least not yet, anyway...although, Tim isn't sure how much would be obvious. He's always assumed that Roy was just really good at hiding the symptoms since Dick hadn't noticed right away. Tim makes a mental note to talk to Robin about it, just in case-especially since the arm guard on his right arm could be hiding track marks. Tim thinks about it for a moment. It seems like a reasonable assumption to make that this Dick and Roy are friends, but he might have to do more research before he broaches the subject with Robin.

It takes Tim a few seconds to realize that no one is saying anything, and that Roy is staring at him. Roy's facial expression is the type of nonchalant look used when one is forcing oneself to project calmness. It's times like this that Tim wishes he was more like Cassandra, even if he himself is sometimes disturbed by her ability to read people. He'd really like to know what Roy's actually feeling right now. "Who the heck is this?"

Before he gets a chance to answer M'gann steps in front of him. "This is Red Robin. He's from a different Earth, and he's staying with us until Batman can find a way to get him back home."

Roy stares at him for a moment. "So, Batman deems him a non-threat?"

"Not exactly, but when does Batman ever say anything directly?" Kaldur speaks up this time, and Tim would really like to know when he gained so much trust from these people.

Roy glares at him. "Or maybe Batman is just waiting for him to do something."

Tim sighs to himself. He doesn't really feel like playing the silent threat game right now. "To be honest, I would be quite offended if I wasn't considered some type of threat. I was trained by the Batman back on my own world, and my only goal at the moment is to get back home." Tim doesn't see any reason to mention that he was also trained by one of his world's best assassins, as well. He already has enough problems without them knowing that little bit of information.

Roy's glare only intensifies before he turns to the others. "When's the last time any of you have spoken with Batman?"

The others glance at each other for a few moments, before Kaldur steps forward. "Batman only contacts us when there's a mission for us."

"But he sent Black Canary here two days ago to spar with Red Robin." Superboy is suddenly standing in front of Tim protectively, which Tim finds very interesting, since two days ago Superboy had slammed him against a wall, and nearly choked him out.

"Why do you ask?" M'gann is biting her bottom lip nervously.

"Because no one has heard from him or Robin since after he sent Black Canary here. Green Arrow asked me to come here and speak with you personally while the league searches for them." Roy suddenly shifts his attention back to Tim. "If you have anything to do with this..."

Before he can finish his idle threat, Tim heads him off. "I couldn't possibly have anything to do with this. I've been here ever since my arrival one week ago, and I've been watched every moment of every day ever since."

The others nod, and Kaldur speaks up again. "It's true, and he's been working with Superboy to help him to control his strength. I have no doubt that Red Robin is a friend."

Roy doesn't seem convinced of that one little bit. "Oh really? Does that mean someone watches him sleep?"

Tim's almost starting to wonder if that's drug paranoia, or if the Arrows in this world really are just more Bat-like than the ones in his own. "Instead of accusing me, shouldn't you be trying to find them?"

Roy growls at him, and looks like he really wants to leap on him and pummel him into the ground. "I don't trust you."

Kaldur steps between the two of them. "That's understandable, but he is right. We should work on trying to find Batman and Robin."

Roy gives him one final glare before turning back to the others. "And how do you suggest we do that?"

Tim doesn't want to give Roy any more reasons than he already has to be suspicious of him, but if Batman and Robin have really been missing for two days there's no telling what terrible things might be happening to them. "Is this computer system linked to the Batcave?"

The others stare at him for a moment, clearly confused, before M'gann shyly responds. "I believe so, why?"

Tim doesn't waste time. He heads over to the main console, and gets to work. "Because if it is, I can hack into the Batcave's system and figure out what case they were working on last. It might give us a lead at the very least."

Superboy, Kaldur, and M'gann all stare at him with disbelief, while Roy readies an arrow. Kaldur steps in between Roy and Tim. "What do you think you're doing?" 

"Can't you see that this is all part of his plan? What if he crashes both systems? Then we'll never be able to find them." The anger and disbelief that Kaldur is actually protecting him is evident in Roy's voice.

Kaldur moves to place a gentle hand on Roy's shoulder. "Friend, I understand your distrust, but he may be the only one who can find them. Red Robin has been here for over a week, and has yet to do anything to make us mistrust him."

Roy growls at him. "And it doesn't seem the least bit odd to you that he's able to hack your systems?"

M'gann shakes her head. "Why should it? Robin can, and it's obvious that they've both been trained by different versions of the same man."

Roy snarls at her. "You...all of you have always been far too trusting." He turns his attention to Kaldur. "It's easy to see now why you actually believed that the Hall of Justice was the League's real HQ."

"If you guys want to put aside the infighting for a moment, I'm in." Tim doesn't take his eyes off the screen. He figures if Roy is going to shoot him, the least he can do is give them the information he's found first.

Kaldur turns back to Tim, and stares at the screen for a moment. "Even Robin isn't that quick."

"See, this is one giant trick." Roy replies, before Tim even gets a chance to respond.

Tim sighs heavily at Roy's accusation. "Actually, I'm just naturally good with technology. In fact, Robin's counterpart on my world is in his late 20s, and I'm still better at this stuff than him. Now, I can share what I've found, but it'll be more expedient without any further interruptions." The others remain quiet, and Roy reluctantly gestures for him to continue as he puts his arrow away. "From what I've found so far, Batman and Robin were tracking a new gang that was trying to get a foothold in Gotham. They had a lead which led them to a large crime family from the Ukraine. I can find out if the two off them went to the Ukraine to head of the gang at the source, but it'll take me some time, and..." Tim pauses for a moment, knowing full well that none of them are going to be happy with his next request. "I'll need some privacy."

"Oh right, 'cause that doesn't sound suspicious at all." Roy folds his arms over his chest, and Tim's fairly certain that he's rolling his eyes behind his mask.

Tim eyes the others for a moment. He can tell that they're starting to think that Roy has a point, which, Tim has to admit, he'd think the same thing in their position. "Look, I'm going to have to track them in their civilian identities, and I know for a fact that none of you know who they are, so I'm sorry, but this has to be done in private."

Roy's eyes obviously widen beneath the mask. "Wait, you know who they are? And this isn't sending off warning bells to any of you?" Roy glances around at the others.

M'gann stares down at the ground sheepishly for a moment. "Um, we kind of already knew that he did. It makes sense. After all, even Robin said that it was apparent that he had been trained by a Batman just by the way he acts."

Roy looks as though he really wants to attack Tim, but in the end, he just throws up his hands in the air. "Fine, but make no mistake. If I find out that you've done anything to hurt my friends, I will make you pay."

Tim smiles at him brightly. "I wouldn't have it any other way." He watches as the others leave him alone in the room. He's not naïve. He knows that they'll have Red Tornado watching everything that he does, and Tim's more than okay with that, but right now, he just wants to find out what happened to Batman and Robin.

The End (for now)


	4. Chapter 4

It didn't take him long to track Bruce's and Dick's movement through the media. There had been a lot of articles lately focusing on their most recent vacation to some unknown island, which was no doubt their cover story while Batman and Robin paid a visit to the Cushko family to convince them that maybe Gotham wasn't the best place to set up shop. However, tracking Bruce and Dick through the Ukraine was a little more difficult. Tim doesn't know why he thought that this Bruce would organize his files the same way his own Bruce did, especially since Tim was the one who reorganized everything on the crays back home to make it as efficient as it is. But, he's starting to realize that a younger Bruce just means that the files are even more awkwardly placed, and it isn't helping matters. Sure, for normal people the system is excessively organized, but for Tim, it's no different than looking at a computer with no folders and files strewn about everywhere on the desktop.

He's getting increasingly more agitated the more dead ends he finds. It makes Tim glare at the screen in front of him, but he resists the urge to put his fist through it. After all, it wouldn't be helpful to lecture Superboy about his barely concealed rage if Tim is going to act out in the same manner. He thinks he's finally found a solid lead, when Red Arrow burst through the door with an arrow already poised. "I think we've given you enough time alone in here."

Tim sighs, but slides away from the keyboard with his hands up. He still doesn't have adequate files on this Roy Harper, and well, he'd rather not get shot with an arrow just to find out how 'trigger happy' this Roy is...especially at this age. "I think I've found something. I know the name of the crime family Batman and Robin were following, I know where their territory reaches, and I know that Batman and Robin went to the Ukraine. I just need to track down where Batman and Robin started disrupting the crime family's work, which means reading through dozens of Ukrainian newspaper articles, and unfortunately, it's taking longer than I anticipated to translate the articles."

Roy stares at him for a moment, with his arrow still trained on Red Robin. "And it's taking so long, because you're having trouble translating Ukrainian, or..." Roy trails off when he sees Red Robin shaking his head.

"No, because I'm having trouble finding the relevant articles, because Batman doesn't know how to file things properly yet."

Roy lowers the bow at that, and clearly raises an eyebrow behind his mask. "Did you just call Batman disorganized?"

Tim shakes his head again. "He's not by your standards, but his filing system isn't what I'm used to."

"Okay, and I'm supposed to ignore the fact that you apparently know Ukrainian, because...?"

Tim sighs again. "First, if it's okay with you, I'm going to get back to translating those articles." At Roy's nod, Tim slides back in front of the keyboard, and resumes working. "Second, if your Robin is anything like his counterpart on my world, the number of languages he knows is only marginally fewer than the ones I know, due to his age."

Roy steps behind him to read over his shoulder. "Okay, so I have a question. If you're tracking their movements through the papers why do you need the files on the Bat computer-or whatever those two call it?"

"Well, I'm sure you're well aware how often the news gets it wrong, so I'm double checking what information I've been able to gather from the news media against the information that Batman updated to his own systems. Unfortunately, finding that information is taking far too long for my liking."

Roy folds his arms over his chest while he glares at the screen in front of him. "I'm starting to see why the others trust you so much, but don't think you're off the hook yet. You still have to find them, and prove you had nothing to do with this in the first place."

Tim smirks to himself as he continues searching for the files he needs. "It's good to know that you're so protective of them. I'm sure that they feel the same way about you." Tim knows that he's not being nearly as subtle as he normally is, but he's finding it a little difficult to translate, find Bruce's notes, and try to keep this Roy from going down the same path as the Roy on his world did all at the same time.

Roy scoffs at that. "Yeah, right. What would you know? You're just some freaky kid from an alternate world, right? So, mind your own business."

Tim shrugs and gets back to work. He's not really sure why this Roy is so uptight all of the time, but he's starting to think maybe he should convince him to spend more time with Superboy. Maybe the two of them could find a nice quiet place where they can be angry together, because Tim doesn't know how to deal with both of them staring at him like they want to punch him to death. Tim is honestly starting to wonder if he should be worried about the anger management problems this team seems to have.

After another thirty minutes of searching and translating, Tim finally thinks he has an idea on Batman's and Robin's whereabouts. He shows Roy a map of the Ukraine, and points to a spot close to the border with Poland. "That's mostly likely their last location. From what I've learned, Batman and Robin managed to disrupt a lot of the Cushko family's business. I don't know if the two of them accomplished their goal of keeping them out of Gotham, but they did put away some of their heavy hitters. Unfortunately, you'll have to go there, and see what you can find. That's the best that I can do without any foot work."

Roy glances from the map to Red Robin, and then back to the map. "And what makes you think that you're not coming with us?"

Tim shrugs. "Well, it's not like I've been allowed to leave your lovely headquarters before."

Roy glares at him. "This isn't my HQ and they aren't my team, got that?" At Tim's nod, Roy continues. "Anyway, you're coming, just in case this is a trap."

Tim doesn't know if he should be happy that Roy is thinking like a bat or concerned. Either way, he gets up and heads for the door. "Works for me."

The two of them walk out into the main room, and they both stop dead. Tim has a funny feeling that he knows exactly what is going on, but from the look on Roy's face, the poor guy doesn't have a clue. He jumps away from Tim, and pulls an arrow. "Okay, what the hell is going on here?"

Before Tim gets a chance to speak, Batman raises a hand to call off Roy. "You did well, Red Robin."

Tim stares at him blankly. He should have known what this was really all about from the moment he hacked the Batcave computers. "I take it this was all just a test."

Batman nods at him curtly. "You passed."

Tim glances over at Roy, who looks about as angry as Tim was the first time that his Batman pulled a stunt like this. "Still think that I had something to do with this, Red Arrow?"

Roy's entire face is red, but whether it's from embarrassment or anger, Tim has no idea. "No, I guess not. By the way, Batman, I'm not a sidekick anymore, and I don't appreciate wasting my time with your little tests. Next time you have something planned, get one of your other lackeys to help out." Before anyone can say anything Red Arrow leaves.

"Wait, I don't understand. Where is Robin?" Tim hadn't even noticed M'gann on the other side of the room. He was too busy berating himself for not seeing this for what it really was.

Batman glances at her. "At home...where he should be."

Tim really should have checked the manor's security, but he didn't want to alert Alfred that someone was hacking the batcave systems. "I take it you gathered whatever information you wanted from watching me work."

Batman grunts at him. "I did, and I've made a decision."

Tim's eyes widen at that. He didn't think that there was any other motive behind this little test beyond Batman learning what exactly Tim is capable of as far as his detective skills are concerned. "And what's that?" 

Batman folds his arms over his chest and lets his cape hang in front of him. "You will be training this team from now on. You're clearly more advanced than even Robin."

Tim stares at him perplexedly. "Well, yeah, but that's just because Robin is so young."

Batman doesn't say anything else before turning to walk away.

Tim races after him. "Wait, this is just temporary, right? You're still trying to find a way to get me back home, right?" Batman doesn't answer him, not that Tim was really expecting him to, but he still needs some kind of answer. "Wait, you have to tell me that you're still looking for a way to send me home. You can't just keep me here. I have a family, and friends, and a life."

Batman still doesn't turn around or answer him. Before Tim can say anything else, Batman is gone. Tim's knees buckle underneath him. "I have to go home."

M'gann kneels down beside him, and places a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure he's trying. It's probably just going to take some time, but at least now you have a purpose while you're here."

Tim stares down at his hands. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks, by the way."

M'gann smiles at him shyly. "That's what friends are for."

The End (for now)


	5. Chapter 5

They've run through this practice exercise five times now. Tim knows that he should have said something after the second time that the whole thing fell apart, but he's not used to working with a Dick Grayson who doesn't automatically learn from his mistakes and adjust for it. "Robin, this is your team-your friends-treat them as such. Talk to them. I know that you're used to working with a grim, mostly silent partner, but no one on this team is Batman. You're chatty, so use it to your advantage. Let your teammates know where you're going to be."

Robin nods at him once, and then flashes a grin as they run through the practice exercise again. He's getting better-they all are-and it's only been a couple of days since Batman gave him his orders. Tim refuses to be angry about that. He needs something to do, and this team needs someone who can train them full time. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time that Tim used training as a distraction from his life. It is, however, the first time that Robin has been here to train with them. After all, Gotham always takes precedence over everything and everyone else. Tim thought it would be far more awkward to train Dick, as opposed to training with Dick, but it's going well so far.

After another two hours of team building exercises-and this team needs a lot of them-he sends the rest of the team off to go change, but asks Robin to stay. If Tim wasn't used to dealing with another Dick Grayson, he might not notice the sudden nervous energy humming through Dick's body, but as it stands, it's almost blatantly obvious. "Relax, I just wanted to tell you good job. You're improving exponentially-especially considering that you don't always get to be here as often as the others." Tim knows from experience that most people improve faster and react better to positive reinforcement, but beyond that, he's also fairly certain that it's just a universal truth that Dick Grayson works better with encouragement.

Dick breathes out a laugh and smiles again. "Thanks. By the way, M'gann told me about the test that Batman put you through, and I just wanted you to know that I had nothing to do with that. I didn't even know about it."

Tim holds up a hand while he shakes his head. "It's okay, really. I'm used to being constantly tested, especially by a Batman. I just wish I knew if he was still working on trying to get me home."

Dick's eyes widen behind the mask. "What? Of course, Batman is still trying to get you home. Why would you ever think otherwise?"

Tim casts his eyes down to the ground, and doesn't say anything for a long moment. He almost forgot about Dick's undying faith in the man, and he doesn't want to do anything to tarnish that for him-especially since Dick is so young. He probably hasn't ever had any reason to question any of Bruce's motives yet, and Tim doesn't want to be the one to make him doubt that Bruce always has his best interest at heart. It's just that, the only person Tim has ever had that type of unyielding faith in was, and always would be, Dick himself. Tim knows that when Bruce gets obsessive-as he so often does-then some times the people around him get tossed to the wayside. And, quite frankly, Tim can't see any evidence that that isn't what's happening to him now. After all, it's not as though this Bruce knows him or cares about him. Tim has every reason to believe that he's just a useful tool in The Batman's crusade, and he'll remain here until he no longer is such.

Tim shakes his head again. "It's nothing. Anyway, you should go get changed."

Dick looks hurt at being dismissed, but turns to leave all the same. Tim wants to say something, but he doesn't know what. He doesn't want to be the cause of any Dick Grayson's pain, which is why he knows that he has to let Dick leave. Tim knows that he's going to end up saying something that could potentially crush this Dick, if they continue this conversation, so he watches Robin's retreating form in silence, knowing full well that it's for the best. However, when Dick reaches the door, he abruptly stops and spins back around. "He says that you're better than me, you know? That you were trained more extensively...that you probably had other teachers in addition to his counterpart on your world. Do...do you think...think that he wants to replace me...with you?" Dick looks like it's the hardest thing that he's ever had to voice, and Tim doesn't know what to do, so he takes a page out of Dick's own book.

Tim walks over to Dick, grabs both of his shoulders (which are too tiny, in Tim's opinion, to be any Dick that he knows) in both of his hands, and crouches down so that they're at eye level. "No, Dick, I really don't think that he does. I think that he wants you to be the best that you can possibly be, and even if that isn't what you are now, know that you will always have people who love and care for you-Bruce included."

Dick bows his head as tears start to fall from his eyes. Tim has only ever known one way to deal with a crying Dick, and he figures that this boy can't be that much different from his older brother, so Tim pulls him into a hug and lets him cry as long as he needs to. Dick clings to him, and sniffles a few times into Tim's shirt. "How do you know that?"

Tim really doesn't want to give away any more information than is strictly necessary, but he's pretty sure that this Dick needs to hear what he's about to say. "Because, back on my world, you're my adopted older brother."

Dick blinks at that a few times and pulls away slightly. "Bruce adopts more kids?"

Tim smirks a little and nods. "Yeah, a few." He doesn't see any reason to mention how many of them there really are back home. "In my world, at least. I don't think I have to tell you how different my world is from yours, though." Except, Tim thinks about it for a moment, and how much he's told them about his world. "Or, maybe I do."

Dick laughs and shakes his head. "No, I think it's obvious from the way that you dress."

Tim glances down at his costume. "What's wrong with the way that I dress?"

Dick scrunches up his nose in distaste. "It's too much like Batman's."

Tim doesn't say anything, but just nods at him. It's not as though he hasn't heard worse about this particular costume back home. "I guess so."

Dick stares at him for a moment, and considers what he's been told thus far, before speaking again. "So, you said that I'm your older brother, right?" At Tim's nod, Dick continues. "So, am I a good big brother?"

Tim smiles widely at that. "The best."

Dick grins brightly at him. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

Tim shakes his head and laughs. "No, I'm not, and if you don't believe me, I can tell you some of the awesome things that your counterpart and I have done while you help me set up for Kid Flash's solo training."

Dick smirks evilly at that. "I'm game. So, what torture are you going to be putting KF through, anyway?"

Tim shakes his head as he pulls the practice mats out of the way. "He needs to learn to think before he reacts-and before he speaks, if the way he talks to M'gann is any indication-but that will come later."

Dick laughs. "Yeah, right. What do you intend to do? Smack him every time he opens his mouth?"

Tim gestures for Dick to help him move some of the equipment around. "No, but I could let Superboy practice catching with him sometime."

Dick raises an eyebrow at that. "What do you mean?"

"Eventually, Superboy is going to have to learn how to catch people when they're falling without breaking bones. It's going to take a lot of practice before he gets it down, and super-healing would make Wally the most likely candidate to help with that little activity."

Dick stares at him for a moment before whistling. "You've got an evil streak in you. Remind me to stay on your good side."

Tim's smile dampens a little at that. He can almost here the missing 'little brother' at the end of that sentence, and it makes him miss his Dick even more than when he first got here. He shakes it off, and continues moving stuff around. Tim has a team to train, and he won't let his personal issues get in the way of doing just that.

The two of them work silently together until abruptly Dick stops what he's doing. "So, what do you and your brother do together?"

Tim nearly drops the net that he's holding. "What?"

Dick huffs out a breath of annoyance. "You told me that you'd tell me some of the awesome stuff that you guys do together, so..." Dick trails off and gestures with his hand for Tim to start speaking.

Tim spends the next hour telling Dick stories about train surfing, beating up bad guys, watching terrible movies, and relaying stories of his younger days as Robin. He doesn't mention too many things about the last year or so, and he makes sure never to use code names while he's talking about his various team-ups with Nightwing while he was Robin. If Dick notices that Tim is deliberately leaving things out, he doesn't mention it. In fact, he mostly just laughs and makes jokes. Tim can't remember the last time that he just spent time talking with someone when it wasn't mission related.

Dick's smile is as bright as Tim has ever seen it, and he can't help but grin back. "So, you and your Dick are really close, right? I mean, you guys clearly spend a lot of time together."

Tim nods once. "Yeah, as much as possible." It's true...or at least it used to be. Tim tries not to think about it that way, but ever since Damian became Robin, they don't spend nearly as much time together as they used to-and how could they? Tim doesn't want to be around Damian any more than is strictly necessary, and they both have their own lives. Dick has his priorities and Tim has his, and it works. Or, at least that's what Tim tells himself.

Dick suddenly nudges him with his elbow. "Hey, where did you just go? Your facial expression just got all 'Batman blank,' and I really didn't think that anyone other than Bruce could achieve that."

Tim shakes his head as if to clear it. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something. Anyway, I think we're done in here, so if you want to go hang out with the others I think I'm going to go to the library."

Dick bites his lip uncertainly, and looks like he really wants to force the issue, but instead just nods and turns to leave. "Thanks for, you know...telling me that stuff."

Tim nods mutely as Dick walks out of the door. He sinks down onto the floor and cradles his head in his hands. He needs to get his head on straight if he's going to be of any use here. It's just that, the longer that he stays here, the more that he starts to wonder if they even need him back home. Is there really even a point to trying to find a way back, when he can do so much more here?

The End (for now)


	6. Chapter 6

It's the twenty-seventh time that Wally has fallen on his face, and now Tim is having trouble trying not to laugh. "You need to slow down. That's the entire point of this exercise."

Wally picks himself up off of the floor and gets ready to run through the course again. "Slow down? Why in the world would I ever need to slow down?"

Tim rolls his eyes at the typical speedster response. "Well, at the very least, so that you can finish this particular exercise; but in general, speed isn't always the most important or most useful skill that you have. You'd be surprised at how useful thinking can be."

Wally simply huffs out a breath as he tries again. This time he makes it a third of the way through the course before he starts speeding again, and ends up flat on his face, trapped in a net. "This is ridiculous. You're over there laughing at me. I just know it."

Tim sighs as he helps Wally untangle himself from the net. "No, trust me, I've been through this enough times with other speedsters that I know it's frustrating and tiring for you; but this is something that you need to learn."

Wally looks as though he wants to say something, but before he gets a chance, Kaldur enters the room. "I'm sorry for interrupting. I didn't know that the two of you were having a private training session."

Tim waves for him to come the rest of the way into the room. "That's quite alright. I was actually just about to give Wally a food break. I'm sure that he needs it." The moment the words food break are out of Tim's mouth, Wally is gone and out the door. Tim laughs to himself as he turns back to start resetting the obstacles. "So, what did you need?"

Kaldur seems unsure for a few moments, as if he doesn't want to speak. "I...I was wondering if you could help me with something."

Tim nods and patiently waits for Kaldur to tell him what it is. When it becomes apparent that he's not going to say anything unless pushed, Tim gestures for him to continue. "Sure, what is it?"

Kaldur looks as though he wants to shuffle his feet, but instead stands tall. "I want to learn how to fight with a staff like you. I've seen you use it in varying ways the few times that I've watched you spar. The way you often use it against Black Canary is most interesting."

Tim smiles at that, because it's not something that he has to think too deeply about in order to teach adequately. "Sure, not a problem. We can start now if you want."

Kaldur nods again. "I would like that."

The two of them move enough stuff to clear a space for them to work, and then Tim goes to get two practice bo staffs to work with. "Okay, now I assume you know the basics, right?" At Kaldur's firm nod, Tim continues. "Okay, well then, I think the best way to teach you is to watch you go through some of the moves you know, and then spar a little. Once I have a decent grasp of what you know, I'll be able to come up with detailed training regimens for you."

Kaldur smiles slightly at him. "Thank you."

Tim shrugs off the gratitude. "It's nothing. After all, it's not like I have much else to do, right? Anyway..." Tim moves away to give Kaldur room to work, as he tosses him a practice staff. "...Show me what you've got."

Kaldur moves into the center of the room, and begins to show Tim some jabs and blocks that he's learned. There aren't any flaws in his form to correct, which makes Tim mentally smile. He's sure that it won't take Kaldur too long to master the weapon. Kaldur then begins to spin and flip, not really using the staff to his advantage, as he fights imaginary opponents. It's not a surprising mistake, given that Tim's never seen Kaldur use a staff. Tim expected that he wouldn't know how best to hold it for maximum damage to his opponents. It shouldn't take too long, all things considered, however, to correct that mistake, and that makes Tim smile openly. "Good. You're doing very well for a beginner."

Kaldur doesn't seem to believe the praise, but simply inclines his head anyway. "Thank you."

Tim recognizes that response well enough from his first days of training, so he doesn't try to reaffirm that it's true. Kaldur's confidence with the bo staff, as well as with his training with Tim, will come in time. At least, that was Tim's experience while training with all of his mentors. "If you want, we can start working together every other day after team training. It shouldn't take you too long at all before your comfortable enough with the staff to use it regularly. Once you can spar me with it, and beat me, I'll have you spar with Superboy, so that you can learn how to defend yourself properly using the staff against an opponent who is bigger and stronger than you."

Kaldur smiles again. "That would be quite helpful. Thank you."

Tim nods at him, before he moves into the center of the room to show Kaldur his staff routines. "I'm going to show you two of my staff exercises. The first one is simple, and you should memorize all of the movements. The second is a far more complex one, and by the time we're done, you should be able to do the routine in its entirety."

Tim starts to move the moment he's done speaking. He jabs, twists, and turns, using the staff like it's a part of him. When he kicks, the staff is braced in a position that would make it easy to move it in order to block another opponent. When he spins, the staff is held in the perfect place to take out as many close range targets as possible, and when he finishes, the staff is still held at the ready. He glances over to Kaldur. "What do you think?"

Kaldur seems to be a little more confident now, which Tim is pleased to see. "I should be able do that."

Tim smiles at that and nods. "Okay, now, here's the harder one."

Tim begins with a back flip. The staff is balanced in his hands perfectly, allowing him to easily defend himself from multiple sides. When his feet hit the floor, he spins, swinging the staff out to his left and then quickly bringing it back to his right. He jumps and lunges, always keeping the staff in a position that makes it easy for him to move it quickly to wherever he may need it. He lands in a crouch and spins the staff above his head, and then uses it to vault over some imaginary foes. When he lands, Tim pulls the staff to himself, and spins it around his body, before bringing it back in font of him and twirling it in his hands. He jabs the staff down beside his right leg at an angle, and then flips over it. If he was fighting someone, those kicks would definitely knock the person out cold. Tim never stops moving, and always has the staff in a usable and defendable position.

When he finishes, Tim brings the staff back to center and bows a little to Kaldur in order to signal that he's done. Kaldur grins brightly at him. "I believe there is much that I can learn from you."

Tim smiles as he gestures for Kaldur to move back into the center of the room. "Okay, why don't you work through the first routine that I showed you? I'll give you pointers as you go."

Kaldur nods and then begins to go through the exercise. There are only a few corrections that Tim needs to make, and he takes direction extremely well. Tim's actually surprised at how easy it is to train him. He expected for some of this to be at least slightly awkward, and Tim honestly isn't sure if training Kaldur is easy because it's staff work or because of how well Kaldur listens and adjusts, exactly the way he tells him to. Either way, it makes Tim feel more useful than he has in quite some time. The two of them spend a few hours working with the staff, before Tim calls it day. He doesn't want to tire Kaldur out too much, especially if the team is needed for anything. He does, however, give Kaldur a few moves that he wants him to practice in his spare time. Kaldur accepts the added work graciously before he leaves, and Tim is honestly almost dreading his next training session with Wally.

Wally doesn't take direction well at all, but that's not really the problem. After all, that's just natural for a speedster. No, the real problem is, working with Wally is just enough like working with Bart, that Tim finds himself nearly sharing inside jokes due to the familiarity of it all; and yet, it's so different, that Tim finds the training sessions to be frustrating in a way that he isn't prepared to deal with. Tim is honestly regretting not asking his Dick more about the specific training techniques he used with the older Titans when they were Tim's age. He's not really sure how to get through to Wally. After all, it's not as though he's really all that close to Wally's counterpart on his world. Sure, he's spent time with the guy, but after the way he's treated Bart over the years, getting to know Wally West was never really a priority for Tim, and he's never really felt bad about that until now.

Tim can't help but feel that he would be better equipped to deal with/help this Wally if he had taken the time to get to know his own Wally a little more. Tim still doesn't see himself going out of his way to spend time with his Wally if, or better yet, when he ever gets back home, but it is something that he's considering. Certainly, it would help if he ever ended up in a situation like this again. However, explaining to Bart the logical reasoning behind trying to get to know Wally West would be difficult to say the least, and quite frankly, Tim isn't even sure it's worth it. He thinks it's definitely something he'll have to think about later, but right now he's scheduled himself some downtime in the library.

It's nice to finally be off the 'could be a threat' list enough that he's allowed to roam the HQ without an escort at all times. That's something that he should really thank Batman for, because without his test, he'd probably still be stuck with at least one of the others. Tim does have to admit that sometimes he misses the quiet presence of Superboy or one of the others. Not frequently, but often enough that Tim has started increasing his training sessions with them all just to give himself a little more time around them. Still, he enjoys his time alone just as much as he always has, and the library is still the best place for him to spend that time. He's still searching for more theoretical science books, but he still hasn't found many that delve into multiverses or anything even close to what he needs. Tim does limit the amount of time he allows himself to search each day, just to keep himself sane.

He's well aware of how obsessive he can become, and the last thing Tim needs is the disappointment of knowing that there really isn't a lot of information to find. He's kept himself from getting desperate enough to search the internet, but that's mainly because Tim knows himself well enough to know that it would start with looking for theoretical science books and end with him gathering as much background information as possible on the counterparts of the people that he cares about the most. Tim doesn't want to know who's alive and who's dead in this world. He tries not to consider how many of his friends have never, and probably will never, exist in this world. It's hard enough for him to think about where his own counterpart is, and Tim knows that he wouldn't be able to stop with just himself. He'd have to find out if there's a Jason Todd here, and he knows that he wouldn't be able to just sit by and let things unfold. He'd have to interfere, but there's no telling what that would do, so Tim avoids computers as much as possible.

He spends his time reading, training, or working with the others...anything to distract him from the itch of knowing that it would only take him 12 hours tops to have all of the information he could ever want. Tim tries to tell himself to trust in Batman; tries to reassure himself that if there's a way, then Batman will find it. But it's been a long time since he's had such unyielding faith in the man, and this isn't even his Bruce. This is a man who, for all he knows, could be just as lost as Tim feels. It's a sinking feeling-one that Tim tries to steer away from as much as possible, but there are times, such as right now, when it's just insurmountable for him to think about anything else.

He's trying to be what he needs to be-trying to give this team the best training that he can-but he can't help but feel like it's not enough-like he's failing. After all, he hasn't even figured out how advanced M'gann's powers are, nor is he sure how he intends to gauge them and improve them. He doesn't want to risk anything disastrous by pushing her too hard or too fast, but he knows that, for all of the control she seems to have, there's so much she doesn't. He also doesn't know what she does (and doesn't) understand about humans. He knows the others aren't really helping all that much with that particular category. After all, Superboy isn't even sure that he is human-that's clear by the way he stares at the others as though they're something unrecognizable. But then, Tim's never been good at making people feel comfortable.

He's actually surprised to find that this was actually easier with his own team. Sure, there are certain aspects of training a team which are easier now that he knows what he's doing, but there are so many more which are just confusing. When he was training his own team it didn't feel so awkward because he was learning, just as much as they were. Not to mention that he was a part of that team. He's not a member of this one, and doesn't want to be, but he's not someone they should really trust and look up to, either-at least, not with how little they really know about him. It's not surprising to him that some of them do, but it's still problematic. The dynamics of this team are something that they are still working out, and Tim isn't capable of helping them with that one bit. They have a leader, but not the one they think they should have, which Tim knows is only going to lead to pain if they don't figure out how to deal with it.

Tim doesn't know how to help them-not really. He has too much information about each person on this team, or at least, of what he can expect out of them once they've advanced enough to match the people he knows back home. It's making it difficult to judge how much he should be pushing them and how far they really will come. He knows that, just because their counterparts on his world can do something, it doesn't mean that these kids will ever reach that level. However, without breaking into Batman's files on each of them, Tim doesn't have much of anything else to compare them with-and he'd rather not hack into the Batcave systems again without a mission-approved reason. After all, Tim really doesn't need to give Batman a reason to think that he's an untrustworthy threat. Unless, of course, that's going to get him home sooner.

Tim's not sure if he wants to get home sooner or not. He wants to go home, but he feels obligated to at least wait until he's managed to impart enough of his knowledge to these kids that it makes them the best operatives possible. He doesn't want to leave before he's managed to make each of them at least a little better than they already are. He'd settle for helping them simply work as a real team instead of as a small band of teenagers, the way that they do now. Tim knows that it's ridiculous to believe that he'll get a choice in the matter, but he doesn't see any reason not to at least plan for it. After all, these kids-and it feels wrong to refer to them as such given that he's only a few years older, but in comparison they really are-need someone who knows exactly how ugly and cruel the world can be. Tim doesn't know what this Batman has faced thus far, but he knows that only a real crisis can prepare someone for the absolute worse, and after everything that Tim's been through, he thinks that he's at least slightly better prepared than anyone else here.

The End (for now)


	7. Chapter 7

Tim awakes to the sound of screaming, only to discover that the screams are his own. He's not surprised. It's actually about time again for him to have the dreams of his father's blood all over him and the floor. He's not really sure when the dreams began to come in a scheduled manner, but he finds relief in the solidarity of it. Tim has no delusions that he's going to return to sleep. He never does after those particular dreams, and he figures if he's not going to sleep, then the least he can do is get some work done. Normally that would mean pulling up one of the many cases he's currently working on-there's always something to be done, something to be worked through in Gotham-but he's not in Gotham. Hell, he's not even on his own earth.

Tim doesn't have any cases to work through, so he grabs a notebook, a pen, and four, large, heavy, theoretical science books and heads to the kitchen. There are some equations that he's been working through. He doesn't actually believe that he can teach himself everything that he needs to know, but it makes him feel better to try. The first thing Tim does when he gets to the kitchen is to head for the coffee maker. The reason for his wakefulness doesn't change the fact that, if he wants to be able to function on any level above sleep deprived zombie, then he's going to need the caffeine.

He's on his third cup of coffee. He has all four of the books open to various pages, the notebook is laid out in front of him, and Tim keeps flipping back and forth to find the notes that he needs, when all of a sudden he hears the sound of a small projectile slicing through the air. He's already out of his seat and in a ready position when he notices the harmless trick arrow lying on the ground from where it ricocheted off of the wall behind where he was sitting. Red Arrow steps into the kitchen, smirking. "Wow, you move faster than Robin."

Tim is blinking rapidly trying, and failing, to figure out when Roy got here. He's just happy that he remembered to grab one of the domino masks that he had gotten from Robin before he left his room. Tim isn't sure how he's supposed to deal with this encounter. It's not as though he's on friendly terms with this Roy Harper. "Is there something I can do for you, Red Arrow?"

Roy shakes his head. "I heard you got the a-okay from Batman to train the others." Tim raises an eyebrow behind his mask, but doesn't say anything. "I guess that makes you trustworthy. Anyway, I didn't come here to annoy you. It's just, sometimes-when I'm in the neighborhood-I come here instead of heading straight home."

Tim's not sure why Roy is being so forthcoming with the information, especially when Tim didn't actually ask any questions, but he's fairly certain that it isn't just because of how late/early it is. He's also pretty sure that, what Roy really means by 'in the neighborhood,' is when he's feeling a little too lonely, and doesn't feel like heading back to wherever he's staying right away. It's making Tim really want to run a drug test on Roy, and alert Black Canary to the possibility that he might need some supervision for a while. Tim just has to find the best way to do that without drawing the team's attention, or worse, the entire JLA. He shelves the idea for now. After all, there's nothing he can do about any of that at this precise moment.

Roy shuffles his way over to the table with all of Tim's work on it. "So, what are you doing?" He randomly starts flipping through Tim's notes. "This looks...heavy."

Tim sighs as he reaches over for his coffee mug. "I'm still trying to find a way back home. Unfortunately, I just don't have the background in theoretical physics that I need. I always preferred computer algorithms for a reason."

Roy pauses in thumbing through Tim's notes long enough to just stare at him blankly. "Man, you're not kidding, are you?"

Tim shakes his head. "Anyway, I'm sure that you would like to get some sleep."

Roy opens his mouth to respond, but before he gets the chance, the two of them fall silent to focus on the whispered voices that they can hear floating in from outside the doorway. Tim recognizes M'gann's voice immediately, and he isn't at all surprised to see Superboy trailing into the room behind her. She glances at both of them with a questioning look before gesturing for Superboy to follow her over to the refrigerator. Everyone seems content to just ignore each other, but Superboy looks upset, certainly more-so than normal, and Tim has already resigned himself to the fact that he's probably not going to get anymore work done tonight. He starts closing his books and putting his notes in order. "So, what are you two doing up?"

Before M'gann gets a chance to speak, Superboy spins around to glare at Tim. "What? So, now I need a a bed time and a babysitter?"

M'gann places a hand on Superboy's shoulder and shoots an apologetic look at both of them. "Superboy, he's just asking out of curiosity."

Superboy stares at her for a moment before muttering an apology. "Sorry, I'm just..."

"Defensive." Roy finishes for him, and Tim can't help but glare at Red Arrow. He desperately wants to smack him upside the head, but it's not as though he has that type of relationship with Roy's counterpart back home.

Tim rolls his eyes and sighs. "It's fine. What's up?"

Superboy looks as though he has no intention of talking, and M'gann bites her lip uncertainly. It's clear that she wants to say something, but isn't sure how Superboy is going to take it. After a few moments of indecision, she heaves a large sigh and steps closer to Tim. "Superboy is upset that Superman won't speak to him."

Superboy scoffs at that. "Ha, speak to me? He won't even give me the time of day."

Tim doesn't know what to say to that. He thinks he might understand Superman's reasoning for such, but he's not really sure. He certainly doesn't know how much he should tell this Superboy or how much comfort he can really give the boy. Luckily for Tim, the decision is taken out of his hands by Roy. "At least Supes is honest about the fact that he doesn't want you around. Green Arrow acts like I don't even exist. Unless, of course there are cameras around. Put a camera in front of that man, and suddenly he's got an arm draped over my shoulders and acting like he's the best mentor a guy could have."

Superboy balls both of his hands into fists at that. "They both suck."

Roy nods in agreement. "All of the older heroes do."

Superboy glares and shakes his head. "No, Black Canary doesn't, and Batman's not that bad."

Roy sighs. "Okay, fine, I'll give you Black Canary. She's pretty awesome, but Batman? You've got to be kidding me."

"Manhunter is great." M'gann chimes in softly.

Red Arrow and Superboy both turn to stare at her for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Fine, I concur. Black Canary and Martian Manhunter are okay, but I still don't see how Batman makes this list. I mean, he's got some kid we don't even know training you guys." Roy turns to Tim and adds, "No offense."

Tim waves at hand him. "None taken."

Superboy moves to sit down. "Batman has trained me more than Superman has, and he just wants everyone to be their best. I like him."

The others sit down around the kitchen table as well, while Tim gets them all something to drink. From what he's observed Superboy and M'gann prefer sugary carbonated drinks to coffee, so he hands them both a soda before gesturing to Roy with another can. Roy simply shakes his head and points to the half full coffee pot. Tim smiles to himself as he gets another cup out for Roy, and pours more into his own. Roy nods his thanks before taking a long sip from his cup. He then places the cup on the table and returns to the conversation at hand. "Okay, I can see why you would like him, but just because Batman has trained you more than Supes-which isn't hard, since the man won't even glance in your direction-that doesn't mean that he's a good mentor."

Superboy's brow furrows at that. "Okay, so what makes a good mentor?"

Roy shrugs as he downs half of his coffee. "The hell if I know."

M'gann stares down at her can of soda for a few moments before lifting her head to speak. "Maybe we should ask Red Robin."

The three of them turn to Tim expectantly. He doesn't say anything at first, so Roy nudges him with his elbow. "Well, come on. You're well-trained. Surely, you know what makes a good mentor, and if Batman is one or not."

Tim has no idea how or why this conversation started, but it's making him uncomfortable, and he's not really sure what he's supposed to say. He takes a long swig from his coffee in order to delay the inevitable, and then sighs. "Truthfully, I wouldn't know if this Batman is a good mentor or not. I haven't exactly spent any real amount of time with the man, and all requests to speak to him have yielded no results. If I was judging based purely off of how Robin fights, trains, and interacts with you guys, I would say that he's trying his best, but there are certain lessons one can only learn from making mistakes."

They're all silent for a long moment, and for one single tiny second, Tim thinks that he might have successfully evaded any further discussion on this particular topic. That is until Roy punches him in the shoulder, and gives him a very knowing look. "Oh, you know something. You know that he's doing something wrong-something that's probably going to screw up poor Rob, and you're just afraid to say it."

The other two stare at him in alarm, and Superboy looks as though he wants to shake Tim until he tells them what they want to know. Tim just shakes his head. "This isn't my world. In fact, this place is nothing like my world. There's no way to know if the things that happened in my world will happen here, and I see no reason to..." 

Roy shoves him at that. "No, no, that's a cop out and we all know it. If there's even a minute chance that something might happen that's going to hurt Rob, you have to tell us. You have to give us a chance to stop it."

Tim holds up his hands in a pacifying way. He doesn't know how to tell them that there's really no way to stop what may or may not happen, especially since Bruce is Bruce. "All I can tell you is that Robin's counterpart on my world is a very physical creature. He needs a lot of physical affection, and well...that's just not something one expects to get from Batman, but this Robin isn't that Robin. Hell, this Batman isn't that Batman. For all I know, Robin gets hugged every day." He smiles evilly at that, and Roy bursts out into laughter. The other two seem as though they're trying, and failing, to picture Batman hugging anyone.

M'gann shakes her head as though just trying to imagine that hurts, and lays a hand over Tim's. "Well, what about your Batman? Is he a good mentor?"

Tim nods once. "Of course he is. He makes mistakes, but who doesn't? Sometimes he makes us...makes me make the wrong choice, especially when dealing with interpersonal relationships, but he does what he does for a reason, and I can't fault him for that. His choices are usually logical, and the best choice to keep us all safe."

M'gann tightens her hand around Tim's for a moment. "Sometimes he makes you make the wrong choice? Do you mean like how he makes Robin keep his identity from us?"

Tim nods again. "I'm not going to lie to you. Keeping our identities safe is always going to be a priority, and I don't know if this Batman will ever be comfortable enough with you...all of you to ever let him tell you his name, and that will become a strain eventually. The thing you need to remember is that, as hard as it is for you to trust someone who can't even tell you his real name, it's twice as hard for him to keep it from you. I know from experience that there are days when the only thing we want is to be able to show our friends our true faces...to be honest with our friends, and for once not have to hide. Unfortunately, it's not really an option very often."

All three of them stare at him somberly, each considering the full weight of what he's just told them. After a moment or two, Superboy pushes away from the table. "Whatever, I'm going to bed. Besides, Black Canary is still the best mentor."

M'gann laughs and follows Superboy out of the room. "Night you two."

Roy and Tim both wave and tell them good night. Tim gathers his books with the intent of going back to his room and finishing up his work for tonight, but he's halted by Roy's hand sliding his notebook out of reach. "So, you had a team, too? Back on your world, I mean."

Tim nods and tries to grab his notebook, but Roy just pushes it further out of his reach. "What were they like?"

Tim sighs, and sits back down. It's clear that Roy isn't going to give him back his notebook until he tells him everything that he wants to know. Tim could just turn this into a spar, but he's tired, and really just wants to finish his research. "They _**are**_great. Present tense. I will get home...eventually."

"And if you don't?"

Tim glares at him. "What's that supposed to be mean?"

Roy shakes his head. "Look, I'm sure you're aware that you may never find a way home. Then what? Can there be a Robin and a Red Robin? Are you just going to stay here and do nothing but train them? Is Batman going to allow you to work out of Gotham? Do you even want to? I'm just sayin' you might want to start thinking about this stuff, instead of wasting your evenings pouring over these books."

Tim drops his head into his hands. "I do think about it. I think about it all of the time, and I don't know."

Roy places his hand on Tim's shoulder. "Do you think that they're looking for you back home? Do you think that they know what happened to you?"

Tim shrugs. "I'm sure that they're probably looking, but I have no idea if they've figured out that it was a multiverse hiccup-and even if they have figured out that much, there's still probably no way of knowing where I ended up. This 'finding the right earth thing' is very tricky."

Roy nods as he slides Tim's notebook back over to him. "Hey, at least you know that someone is looking, right?"

Tim smiles slightly at that. "You know that people would be looking for you, too, right? If this ever happened to you, I mean."

Roy laughs as he shakes his head. "I don't know about that, man. I mean, maybe they would be looking for the me on your world-there is a me on your world, right?"

Tim nods. "Yeah, there's a you on my world."

Roy's grin only brightens at that. "Cool, are you two friends?"

Tim shrugs slightly at that. "I like to think that we are, but you...or your counterpart is actually best friends with Robin's counterpart, who is my older brother. It's a little complicated, actually."

Roy laughs again. "Yeah, sounds like."

Tim sighs quietly as he drops his books back onto the table. It doesn't take a genius to know that Roy is lonely and really just needs his friends, but his friends are sleeping, and Tim isn't really good at being social. But, he figures, the least he can do is try. "Hey, I'm not really tired, and I know that you just had a cup of coffee, so...do you want to watch a movie or something? I don't really get to do much beyond train them, and it'd be nice to spend time with someone who isn't either testing me or trying to get me to make them better."

Roy smiles and nods. "Yeah, I wouldn't mind watching something with you. Just don't fall asleep on me, okay?"

Tim grins slightly, but that's mainly because he has every intention of sitting on Roy's left side so that he can subtly check for track marks. He doesn't know what he intends to do if finds any, but Tim was trained to think on the fly. "No promises."

Roy simply laughs at him, and goes to put in a movie. "Well, I'll make sure to tuck you in then."

The End (for now)


	8. Chapter 8

The team is on a mission, which leaves Tim here, alone. It's the perfect opportunity to get some work done, so he heads down to the library. It feels weird being in this room with his suit on, but he doesn't feel comfortable being here alone wearing anything else. It feels wrong not to be prepared for absolutely anything and everything. He's about to get started in on the new books that he's just found, when Tim hears a loud crash coming from the training area. Normally, he wouldn't even think twice about it, but given that the team is gone, Tim is up and moving before he's even consciously aware of it.

When he gets closer to the room, it's apparent that there are two people in there, and it doesn't sound like they are just sparring. Tim slides three batarangs into his hand as he silently edges closer to the door, without being seen. "He's still just a kid-just like the others-whether you want to admit it or not." Tim recognizes Black Canary's voice immediately, but he doesn't relax any, especially since the seething tone of her voice promises violence to whomever she's speaking with.

"He's well trained. That's all that matters." Tim's eyes widen with the realization that Black Canary is fighting with Batman.

"Weren't you just saying that you still don't trust him? What are you going to do? Put a tracking device on him." There's silence for a moment, and then Black Canary erupts again. "That is not an actual plan."

"He's not a member of the team, and no one else has taken any responsibility for him. His skills would be useful in the field, and I see no reason to continue wasting them here."

Tim's getting a sinking feeling about this conversation, but he's interested, so he places the batarangs back into his belt, and crouches down. He's barely breathing in the hope that he'll remain undetected. "Of course no one's taken responsibility for him. He doesn't belong here! Besides, Superman won't even take responsibility for the one with his DNA."

"I'm working on that."

Black Canary scoffs at him. "And I'm sure that that's going really well, but back to the problem at hand. Are you even trying to send him back home? It seems like you've just been using him. You have him training the team full time, and now this. When I told you that the kid needed to get out, this isn't what I meant."

Bruce doesn't say anything for a moment, and Tim can only imagine the glare that he's directing toward her. After another second or two, Tim hears the unforgettable sound of a cape whipping past someone's legs. "The boy is coming with me."

Tim hears something that sounds an awful lot like Black Canary tackling Batman, and he's pretty sure that he doesn't want to be here for the fallout, but he still doesn't want to attract attention to himself. Before he can figure out an acceptable escape route, though, he hears the unmistakable sound of someone's hands being zip-stripped. "This doesn't concern you, Canary."

"The hell it doesn't!" Tim hears the zip-strips breaking. "I know for a fact that you've never let Robin do what you're intending to do with this kid."

"Robin isn't as well trained as him."

"And that's the real problem, isn't it? You just can't deal with the fact that you've spent the last four years training Robin, and this kid comes out of nowhere and proves that it's not enough. You said it's clear that he wasn't trained by just Batman. So, what? Are you just going to replace Robin with this kid, because I swear if you do..." Tim can imagine Dinah's eyes narrowing, and it makes him want to return to the library even more, but he needs to hear the rest of this conversation.

"I have no intention of replacing Robin, but Robin is with the team and this boy could prove to be useful."

Black Canary sighs, and Tim is really starting to think that he needs to retreat now before they catch him listening in. "If this is your way of saying that you need help while Robin is away, why not just ask one of us? You know that we wouldn't hesitate to..."

"I don't like metas in my city, Black Canary. You know that." Batman cuts her off, which Tim knows would only anger the Dinah on his world even more, so he's not really surprised when he hears Black Canary's low and feral growl.

"Right, of course, so you'd rather endanger some..."

Tim really can't deal with her calling him some kid again, so instead of just standing outside or leaving he walks through the door. "I'm not a child, so tell me what it is you want me to do."

Black Canary's eyes soften, and she looks as though she wants to protect him. Tim wants to smile and assure her that it's fine. Instead, he simply nods to her once before turning his attention back to Batman. He folds his arms over his chest, and raises an eyebrow while he waits. Batman looks as though he wants to smirk, which only makes Tim's eyebrow rise higher.

Before Batman can tell Tim what he wants, however, Black Canary moves beside him, and places a hand on Tim's shoulder. "Red Robin, you can tell him no. You don't have to go with him."

Tim holds up a hand to stop her from continuing, and turns to face her over his shoulder. "Thank you, but Batman's right. I am well trained, and there isn't any reason to waste my skills here." He turns back to Bruce and stands tall. "So, what's the mission?"

Batman nods at him once before gesturing for Tim to follow him. They stop in front of one of the main computers, and Batman starts pulling up files. "There's been a massive breakout at Arkham Asylum. It's a facility which houses..."

"The criminally insane...I'm aware."

Batman glances down at him for a moment, and Tim swears he can see an almost smirk. Tim is starting to get the impression that this Bruce isn't as cold or as closed off as his own, which makes sense, because this Bruce hasn't lost a Robin yet. "It will take too long for me to track down every escaped prisoner on my own."

Tim's eyes roam over the map of Gotham, which Batman has pulled up on the screen. He stares at it for a moment, before interrupting Bruce again. "You want to break the city up into a search grid, and you want me top side while you search the sewers for Killer Croc. I'll need some time to go over the files of everyone who escaped. After all, while I'm prepared to deal with the big ones like The Joker of my own world, I'd hate to be surprised by any deviations your world's criminal element has from my own."

Batman nods once again as he steps away from the console. "How quickly can you have these files read?"

Tim copies the files to his palm computer, and immediately starts reading. He can't express how relieved he is that his technology is still compatible with this world's tech. "I can have these files memorized in half an hour."

Tim can see Batman staring down at him from the corner of his eye. He looks as though he wants to say something, and then his hand twitches. It's barely even noticeable. In fact, if Tim hadn't spent most of his life following a very different Batman, he probably would have missed it completely, but Tim knows that hand twitch. It's the same one that his Bruce has when he wants to put his hand on Tim's shoulder, but doesn't know how it will be received. True, Tim mostly hasn't had to deal with that reaction in quite some time, but he'd never forget that response. After all, he had to deal with it for years before the two of them became comfortable around each other. Tim doesn't know what to think about the fact that he's now getting that same reaction from this Bruce, but before he can give it much more thought Batman turns away from him and starts walking out of the room.

Tim knows better than to say anything. He's spent enough time with his own Bruce to know that any conversational attempts will yield nothing, so instead, he focuses harder on the files he copied. They're heading to the entrance when it occurs to Tim that now is the perfect time to do something that he's been considering since his impromptu movie-watching night with Roy. "I'll be right with you, but I've gotta talk to Black Canary first." When Batman raises an eyebrow at him, Tim gives him shy sweet smile number seven. "I just want to reassure her that I've done this before, and that I'll be fine, you know. There's no sense in making her worry the entire time." Bruce looks like he's reassessing his first impression of Tim, which just makes Tim want to laugh. It hasn't been this easy to manipulate Batman since he was Robin.

Tim takes off in the direction of the training area, hoping that he'll still find Dinah there. He breathes a sigh of relief when he enters the room to find her pummeling a training dummy. Tim knows better than to sneak up on someone when they are in the middle of making a practice dummy look like a natural disaster victim, so he deliberately scuffs his foot against the floor. Dinah spins around clearly ready for another fight with Batman. Tim can see when she registers that it's him, because she visibly relaxes. "Is there something that you needed, Red Robin?"

Tim sighs as he steps closer. He doesn't actually know how to do this. He's never really had to go to an adult for help with something that wasn't directly related to him...well, no one except for Dick, but Dick rarely acts his age. "I think it would be a good idea if you took an interest in Red Arrow."

Black Canary's eyes narrow at that. "Why? What do I need to know?"

Tim shakes his head. "I don't have any conclusive data yet, but it would be in everyone's best interest if he was aware that, not only does he have people who care about him, but he has someone to turn to when things become difficult. Someone who won't judge him, isn't his own age, and doesn't have anything to gain or lose from his...indiscretions. Someone who he knows would never turn him away."

Her brow furrows at that. "What? I assure you that Green Arrow would never..."

Tim holds up his hand to stop her. "I know I don't know this Green Arrow, but I've spoken with Red Arrow enough to know that he needs someone beyond his mentor. He needs someone who he doesn't have...issues with."

She stares at him for a long moment. Clearly, Dinah wants to ask him more questions, and really Tim can't blame her. He's pretty sure that if he was in her position, he'd be demanding to know everything that Tim's not saying, but he also knows that she's spoken to the team enough about him to know that it wouldn't do her any good to demand such things from him. After another moment or two, she nods at him. "I'll...I'll speak with him as soon as I can."

Tim turns to leave, satisfied that he's done what he can for the moment, but before he gets a chance to take more than a few steps away, Canary's voice stops him in his tracks. "Hey, Red."

Tim turns back to her, and he's a little surprised to see such a deep level of concern directed towards him. "Yeah?" Tim is actually uncomfortable with the amount of emotion in his voice right now. He doesn't normally sound this confused even when he's puzzling out one of The Riddler's games.

Black Canary smiles at him sadly. "Be careful out there. I know that you're well trained, but the Arkham escapees are..."

"I know. I've dealt with them on my own world. I assure you."

She nods at him. "I know, but you have to understand something. Batman has never allowed Robin to track down more than one of them on his own, and he's never allowed him to face The Joker without backup."

Tim sighs to himself. "I know the risks, Black Canary, and we both know that if Batman didn't think that I was capable of holding my own he wouldn't allow me to do this...especially not in _his_ city."

She huffs out a breath and smiles down at the ground. "What can I say? Part time den mother...I worry."

Tim smiles shyly back at her. "Thank you...that...means a lot actually. I know I'm not a member of the team, but it's nice to know that someone cares."

She looks as though she's ready to hug him, and Tim's caught off-guard by how much that doesn't bother him. She shakes her head, and then makes a shooing motion towards the door. "Go-before I get a lecture for holding you up."

Tim's smile only grows wider. "You'll probably get one anyway." He listens to the sound of her laughter as he goes to meet Batman by the entrance to the HQ.

Batman, predictably, doesn't say anything when Tim meets up with him, but he does give Tim a look-one that Tim doesn't know how to decipher. He's about to just come out and ask, but before he gets a chance, Batman calls out to the computer. When Tim hears the computer respond, "Recognized Red Robin 0719" he isn't sure what to think.

Fortunately, Tim doesn't get a lot of time to dwell on it. In a flash, they're in Gotham. Tim would recognize the city, no matter the changes. It feels like coming home in a way that he wasn't prepared for. Tim takes a moment to reorient himself, and he gets another hard stare from Batman, but he knows what this particular expression means. It's the get to work glare, and it makes Tim want to laugh. Instead, however, he simply holds out his gloved hand for the transmitter and tracer that he knows Batman will insist that he use...not that Tim has any intention of arguing. "I'm sure that you've already put one tracer on me, but the communicator may prove to be useful."

This time Tim does get a smirk from Batman as he slips the two little devices into Tim's open palm. He isn't sure how to feel about a Batman that is this expressive, but he guesses it makes sense, given everything that this world hasn't been through. "Don't overestimate them. Call if you need backup."

Tim nods once, and heads for a rooftop. This almost feels like his first night out as Robin. He has to pause on a rooftop for a few moments to get used to the new terrain. While this is still Gotham, it's not exactly the same as back home...not that Tim was expecting it to be. He finds it surprising that, for an Arkham breakout, the city is so quiet. This is a city that has never lost a hero before, and the contrast is nearly startling. He heads toward Robinson Park first, knowing that it's the most likely place to find Poison Ivy. Tim knows that she's not the easiest villain to subdue, but he's gotten good at placating the version of her on his own world. He just hopes that this Poison Ivy doesn't have any reason to attack first and ask questions later.

When Tim gets to the park he doesn't even need to go inside to see that the vegetation is flourishing far more than it should be for this time of year. It doesn't take a genius to know that he chose the right place to come to find Ivy. He treads lightly through the overgrown trees, carefully stepping to keep from crushing any plants. He doesn't want to give Ivy a reason to attack if he can help it. The further Tim gets into the park, the faster the plant life seems to be growing. He can see flowers blooming right before his eyes, causing the air to smell sweet and heavy with their fragrance. He knows that he's getting closer to her.

Tim's watching for any winding roots and vines. He's been caught off-guard by Ivy's seemingly harmless plants enough in the past to know to be on high alert. However, that doesn't mean that Tim can do anything when a weeping willow wraps it's branches around him, and slams him into it's thick trunk. He doesn't bother to struggle. After all, he wanted to speak to Ivy, and upsetting her by setting fire to her pet tree will only ensure that negotiations don't go well. He waits calmly for her to emerge from somewhere within the thick vegetation. It takes her longer than he expected, but soon enough two large trees part to allow Ivy entry into the little grove her plants have created.

She takes a long moment to look him up and down, and Tim just stays silent and allows her to take her time. "You aren't who I was expecting." She takes another long look at his clothes. "Are you friends with the little Boy Wonder?"

Tim will never get used to anyone referring to Dick as little, and he hopes he'll never have to. He takes a deep breath, and settles in for the usual banter. "I'm kind of new in town. Go by the name Red Robin, if that answers your question. Anyway, I wanted to speak with you."

Ivy smiles at him in a predatory way. "Oh, little bird, you want to speak with me? I'm flattered. Now, what is it that you could possibly want from little ol' me?" She gets closer than Tim is strictly comfortable with, and starts running a finger over the top of his cowl.

Tim suppresses the need to get away, and swallows down a biting retort. It annoys him that he can't escape the nickname 'little bird'-not even here, where he clearly isn't even the smallest bird running around. He's certain that this is going to be one of the more annoying moments of his night. "I've got a lot to do tonight. There's more than a few of you who have escaped from Arkham, and I'm hoping that you'll be the easy one to deal with."

Ivy throws back her head and laughs as she digs her fingers in against his cowl. It's one of the many reasons that Tim is happy that he switched to it from just a domino mask. "You're a silly little bird. Why should I possibly go back when I've got all of this wonderful green around me? My babies are thriving here. What could you possibly offer me as an incentive?" She's back to stroking his cowl within seconds, and it makes Tim want break her wrist.

He smirks slightly at her, and ignores her roaming hands. "Well, if you come back quietly. I won't set this lovely little grove on fire. Think about it, Ivy. You walk out of this park with me, and all of these lovely plants continue living the way they should. You don't, and they don't get to live at all."

She backs away from him, glaring the entire time, and he can see the plants in question rearing up for a fight. "And how exactly do you intend to do that? You are trapped to my beautiful willow tree, after all."

Tim narrows his eyes and allows his voice to show his annoyance by becoming gruffer. "Trust me, Ivy. I have my ways."

Her glare only intensifies. "You're bluffing."

The words aren't even out of her mouth before Tim draws two knives from his belt and begins hacking through the tree branches around him. Even with Ivy's control, weeping willow tree branches are no match for him. He lands on the ground in a crouch. "Are you sure you want to do this, Ivy?" Tim slips a handful of pellets into one hand and grabs some batarangs in the other. "'Cause I can assure you, you won't like the way that this ends."

He can tell that Ivy is too enraged by the pain that she can feel from her 'baby' to think clearly, and an angry Poison Ivy is always the most dangerous. She lets out an animalistic scream, and then plants are shooting towards him from all sides. Tim throws the explosive pellets at the plants behind Ivy, knocking her down for a split second. It's just long enough for him to dodge the plants striking at him from behind, and to throw the batarangs at the ones coming at him from the sides. He then gets in close enough to fight her hand to hand. It's not as easy as it could be, though. They're in a small space, and he still has to evade plants from every which way, but the enclosed space doesn't work for Ivy's benefit anymore than it does for him.

True, Ivy isn't trying to fend off her own plants, but in order to protect herself, she's backed herself into a corner, and that's all that Tim needs. He rolls out of the way of another plant strike, and ends up behind the little circle of plants that she's surrounded herself with. He places a small explosive and moves. He's barely out of range when he hears Ivy scream, and bits of plants go flying everywhere. Tim has to use his cape to protect himself from the foliage raining down on him. He gets out his bo staff, and calmly walks over to Poison Ivy, who is lying on the ground breathing heavily. She doesn't look that much worse for the wear, all things considered. "So, Ivy, you ready to go back to Arkham now?"

She glares at him, but doesn't make any move to attack. Tim zip-strips Ivy's hands behind her back, and drags her out of the park. He then contacts the necessary authorities. The wait is longer than he would like, but Tim can't complain. There are nights in his own Gotham where reaching the proper authorities isn't even an option, so Tim checks his supplies while he listens to Ivy babble about all of her poor plants that he destroyed. After the fifth time that she asks him how he could do such a thing, Tim feels compelled to remind her that he gave her a choice.

Once Ivy is on her way back to Arkham, Tim takes off in the direction of Crime Alley. He doesn't really have any reason to go there beyond the fact that it's Crime Alley, but for some reason Tim feels obligated to check it out. On his way there, he stops three muggings and a car jacking. It's not unusual Gotham crime, but the lack of heavy hitters is concerning. He knows how bothersome it can be when the big name villains go underground...both literally and figuratively.

Tim's standing on a rooftop above Crime Alley when he hears the unmistakable maniacal laughter of the only madman who has ever truly frightened him. He glances down and sees a kid running as fast as his scrawny little legs can carry him. The Joker is following him, laughing the entire time. Tim takes off in hot pursuit. He's jumping over rooftops, making sure to keep both the kid and The Joker in sight. Tim needs to get closer if he's going to help that kid. The Joker has the boy backed against a grimy alley wall when Tim catches up. The kid looks like he's honestly going to try to fight, despite how scared he so obviously is. Tim doesn't even know what to think about that.

The Joker is saying something-Tim can't tell what from his place on the roof-but, whatever it is, it makes the boy shake a little. The Joker then pulls out a knife, but before he can do more than flash the blade, Tim slams both of his feet into the back of him. The Joker is only down for a moment, but Tim already has his bo staff out. He'd tell the kid to run, but there's no place for him to go. Joker's got the only exit blocked, and there's no way Tim is allowing him anywhere near the boy behind him.

"You're new. I wonder if you're as fun to play with as the other birdy who's normally running around here." The Joker's smile is just as grotesque in this world as his own, but he seems to have even more of an affinity with annoying one-liners here.

Tim knows his world's Joker enough to know that the knife isn't the only concern. It's just the immediate one. He blocks Joker's view of the kid, hoping to distract him. The last thing he needs is for The Joker to decide that the new bird in town isn't worth playing with. "Drop the knife, Joker." He doesn't actually expect The Joker to comply, but it buys him some time to asses the situation a little further. The Joker is wearing one of those stupid flowers on his suit, and Tim refuses to end up as one of those clichéd face-full of acid victims. He takes out a batarang, and takes aim. He knows that there are other ways for The Joker to maim and kill him, but right now, Joker Venom and acid are his primary concerns.

"Why would I drop my knife? Where's the fun in that, birdy?" Joker glances down at the knife in question, and then his evil grin turns even more sinister. "Well, maybe you're right."

Tim barely has enough time to change tactics as The Joker throws the knife, and Tim scantily manages to block the knife with his staff. It would have been easier if the knife had been aimed at him, but as it is, Joker was definitely aiming at the kid behind him. Tim knows that he's run out of time. The Joker has been staring past him this entire time, fixated on the kid who was willing to fight him with nothing but his fists. Tim knows that if he doesn't take The Joker out fast and hard, this boy will be in far greater jeopardy than he already is.

Tim throws his batarang, slicing through the flower on The Joker's chest. He sees the rage take over the clown's face when he realizes what Tim has done, and Tim knows that it's on now. He waits one moment longer to make sure that the flower problem has been sufficiently dealt with, and then he moves in, jabbing with his staff, and kicking as hard as he can. He can hear bones breaking under his boots, but Tim doesn't care. He knows what this sadistic clown is capable of, and he won't let it happen here...not if he can help it. Tim blocks a sloppy kick with his staff, and punches The Joker in the face. He doesn't waste any time before sweeping Joker's feet out from underneath him. The Joker lands with a heavy thud on the dirty ground. He's laughing through bloody lips and the pain of a few broken ribs, and staring up at Tim as though he's something funny. Tim's not naive enough to believe that the danger is over with, and when he sees Joker reach for something in his pocket Tim doesn't wait to find out what it is before he breaks The Joker's wrist.

There's a sharp intake of breath before The Joker's arm falls to the ground limply, and he stares up at Tim with a bloody smile. "Turns out you are more fun than Wonder Boy, after all."

Tim doesn't respond, nor does he hesitate to bring his staff down hard, effectively knocking out The Joker. He's about to spin around to make sure that the kid behind him is okay, when the boy in question comes rushing at him with Joker's knife in his hand. Tim almost misses catching the kid before he plunges the knife into The Joker's heart, but at the last second he manages to grab the boy. He forces the kid to drop the knife, and then holds him close. "It's okay. He won't hurt you. It's okay."

The kid is shaking, so Tim wraps him in his cape. "He said that he was going to carve me up...that he was going to..." The kid cuts himself off with a hard shake of his head, and Tim's more than a little surprised that he sounds more angry than scared right now. "He shouldn't be allowed to do that to anyone ever again."

Tim doesn't know what to say to that, so he simply tightens his hold on the boy. "It's gonna be okay, alright? I'm going to contact the proper authorities, and..."

"No!"

Tim is caught off-guard by the sudden outburst...enough that he looks down, and Tim's stomach drops with recognition. He'd know those blue-green eyes anywhere. It doesn't matter that this kid is too thin for his height. He's still got some considerable bulk for his age, and Tim's mouth goes dry when he realizes exactly how old this kid has to be...considering Dick's age. Tim swallows hard and tries to make himself sound steadier than he is. "Jason, listen, this is the way that it has to be. Despite what you may think, the world wouldn't actually be a better place if vigilantes killed."

The kid's eyes widen at the mention of his name, and then his gaze darts all around trying to find an escape from this scary guy who knows too much. "How...how do you know my name?"

Tim unfurls his cape from around the boy a little. "I know a lot more than just your name, Jason Todd, and, just so you know, stabbing unconscious people is more than a misdemeanor." Tim sighs to himself. This is definitely going to be a long night.

The End (for now)


	9. Chapter 9

Tim doesn't have a choice. He has to take Jason home. He just hopes that he can get through to him before they get there, but first they have to wait for the cops, because there is no way that Tim is leaving Joker-even if he is unconscious and tied up-unsupervised. He keeps a hold on Jason's arm the whole time that they wait, and once Tim is absolutely sure that The Joker is properly detained, he instructs Jason to lead him to his home. Jason seems extremely reluctant to do so, but Tim isn't relenting. After a twenty minute debate, Jason finally sighs and then starts marching off, presumably in the direction of his home.

Tim doesn't want this walk to be one long lecture, but he has to at least try to get through to Jason. He attempts to be gentle with him, but Jason doesn't seem too receptive of the whole thing. "I know you're not happy with the way that I handled things back there, but you have to understand that this is the only way people like me can work. If we went around killing, we'd be no better than the people we fight against, and then instead of working with the cops, they'd be chasing us."

Jason huffs out a breath, and tries to pull ahead, but Tim still has a firm grip on his arm. "Yeah, sure, fine, whatever."

Tim sighs. Short of getting into a fight with this child-which he refuses to do-there's not much more that he can say. It's ultimately up to Jason to decide what kind of person he wants to be, and Tim highly doubts that anything he says is going to make an impact. Still, he tried. He guesses that, for now, that has to be enough.

When they finally get to Jason's apartment, Jason pauses outside and glares at Tim. "You're going to tell my mom about tonight, aren't you?" He's got his arms folded over his chest, and he looks really upset at the prospect.

Tim can't help himself. He has to kneel down to be at eye level with Jason, and then he shakes his head. "No, I'm not; but I am going to give you this." He hands Jason a small device, and waits patiently for the kid to take it. "This is a communicator. If you get into trouble or need anything at all you are to push this button right here," Tim points to indicate where he means. "And this will connect you to me. You are to call me immediately if something happens. Is that understood?"

Jason nods as he tucks the little communicator away in one of his pockets. This isn't exactly what Tim had in mind when he linked his tech to the stuff back at the team's HQ, but he figures it's as good a use for it as any. He gestures for Jason to head on inside, but instead Jason holds up his index finger as a sign for Tim to stay where he is for a moment. "Wait, you gave me something, so I have to give you something." Tim shakes his head, but Jason insists. "That's how it works, so just wait here for a sec, okay?"

Tim doesn't get a chance to protest before Jason ducks into his apartment. When he reappears a few minutes later he's holding a small toy solider. He presses it into Tim's hand. "Here, take it. I know it's not much, but he's one of my favorites."

Tim shakes his head, and tries to shove the little figure back into Jason's hand. "I couldn't possibly take him. He's far too valuable to you."

Jason thrust the tiny solider into Tim's hand before he backs away a step or two. "No, I want you to have him, because you saved me. My mom likes to call him the lucky solider, 'cause he got stuck down one of the vents, but we managed to get him out with a broken hanger. Maybe he'll keep you safe...or something. I don't know."

Tim doesn't know what to say. It figures that the nicest interaction that he's ever had with Jason Todd comes in the form of an interaction with a young Jason from another world. He holds the little solider tight in his hand, and nods once. "I promise to keep him safe, then."

Jason gives him a small smile, and a wave before he ducks back into his apartment. Tim tucks the little solider into one of the pockets on his belt, and then makes his way outside. He still has a few more Arkham escapees to catch tonight, and he doesn't really want to have to explain to this Batman why he fell off the grid for almost an hour tonight.

Tim's swinging across rooftops with no real destination. After all, it's not as though he has any leads for the locations of the rest of the Arkham escapees, but there's always plenty of petty crimes to stop in Gotham, so Tim makes a beeline for a bank robbery in progress. He's expecting run of the mill thugs-probably with guns and money in hand-which is why, when he sees a little old white-haired lady walking out of the bank with two large duffel bags in her hands, he almost stumbles over the side of the roof. Tim manages to catch himself, however, and watches for a few moments.

He can't honestly believe that this woman, who looks far too well dressed for a bank heist, planned this all on her own. He's waiting for her to make her way to a getaway car-or at least for some large goons to surface-when he sees her calmly-almost as if in a daze-walk over to a completely inconspicuous looking vehicle, and place the bags inside the silver sedan before slowly walking away. Tim isn't exactly sure what's going on, but he knows that he has to follow that car. The driver isn't even driving like he or she is trying to get away from a bank heist. The person is simply following all of the rules of the road, driving at a respectable speed, which makes at least one part of his night a little easier.

He follows the car for a good twenty blocks, before it randomly pulls into a parking lot in front of an old hat shop. Tim has absolutely no idea why the person would stop here, but then most of the things that criminals do rarely make sense. He moves to another building to get a better view as the person exits the vehicle. The person in question is quite short in stature, and is practically skipping towards the door of the shop. Tim suddenly has a bad feeling about this. What he thought was a simple bank robbery is looking to be something far more complicated. He makes his way across more rooftops until he's in a position where he can see into the shop more easily, and Tim really doesn't like what he sees.

There's a woman tied to a chair, positioned in front of a table with a tea set placed in front of her. Tim now understands why the woman from earlier appeared to be in a trance. It's because she was. He knows who he's going up against now, and, honestly, after the night that Tim has had so far he really can't imagine things getting much more bizarre. He waits until the man, who was driving the sedan (which was most likely stolen), is positioned just right, and then Tim shoots off a grapple, swings down feet first through the window, and slams into the Mad Hatter with all of the force that he can muster.

The Mad Hatter goes flying across the table, and smashes into the wall on the other side of the shop. He gets back up, and starts throwing the now scattered tea set at Tim. "No, no, no! You're supposed to be busy with the others. Don't you dare take my Alice!" Tim ducks as some teacups go sailing towards his head. "Wait, you're not the Bat. Who are you?" The Hatter pauses, but then decides it doesn't matter who Tim is as he resumes throwing teacups.

Tim leaps over the small table and puts himself between the Hatter and the woman. She doesn't seem to know whether she should be relieved or even more frightened, now that he's here. Tim figures he'll get to that in a second, but first he has to make sure that he doesn't get doused in whatever mind-altering chemicals this Mad Hatter prefers. He crouches as the Hatter throws a few saucers at him, and then slides out of the way as the Mad Hatter attempts to dump the entire contents of the teapot on his head, and then Tim spins away from the flying teapot itself. Tim has had just about enough of this evasion technique. He's managed to get the Mad Hatter a respectable distance away from the still bound woman, which is all that Tim was really waiting for.

The moment that the two of them clear the table, and the Hatter is out of things to throw at him, Tim moves in, kicking out as hard as he can, and then punching the Hatter square in the jaw. He follows that with a solid kick to the man's chest. The Mad Hatter goes crashing into the wall behind him, and Tim's about to follow that with an elbow when the Hatter holds up both hands and screams. "Stop! Stop! I'm done. I'll be good. I'll go back. You can even take Alice."

Tim huffs out a breath as he pulls the Mad Hatter to his feet, and then spins him around, and shoves him face first into the wall as he binds his hands behind his back. "Glad we could come to an understanding. Now, sit, stay, and be quiet." Tim pushes the Hatter into a sitting position on the floor, and then turns to deal with the bound woman. She stares at him, wide-eyed and a little shocked. Tim holds both hands out for her to see, in order to keep from startling her. "I'm just going to untie you, okay?"

She nods, but Tim isn't really sure that she's registering anything more than just her fear. He quickly undoes the gag in her mouth, and swiftly unties the ropes around her, and then he backs up a good foot or two to give her some space. She stands quickly, mutters a small thank you, and then runs out of the shop. Tim's half-tempted to knock the Mad Hatter out, but he doesn't actually see a valid reason to do so. Therefore, instead, he calls the cops, and then leaves.

He's on his way towards the lower east side, when his communicator goes off. Tim immediately halts on the rooftop that he had just been about to leap off of, and then reaches a hand up to his ear. "Red Robin here."

"Killer Croc has been neutralized. I'm going after Clayface. Status report." Batman's voice is gruff, and low in his ear. It's typical Batman behavior, which Tim realizes he's missed more than he thought.

Tim keeps his rueful smirk to himself as he replies. "Poison Ivy and The Joker have both been detained, and the police are on their way to pick up The Mad Hatter."

He's honestly expecting Bruce to just cut the connection, which is why he nearly falls over when he hears a, "Good job." over the line.

He's so frazzled that Tim can't even regulate his voice as he squeaks out, "Thanks."

Batman, on the other hand, is kind enough not to mention anything before he gives his next set of orders. "I'll handle the rest. Head back to the HQ."

If this was Tim's Batman, he'd probably protest and tell him that there's absolutely no reason for him to head back so soon...not while Bruce is still dealing with Clayface. As it stands, however, he doubts that his argument would mean much to a Batman who is used to dealing with a thirteen-year-old Dick Grayson, who probably frequently gets in over his head when he's having a night like Tim's. "Understood. Call if you need backup." He cuts the connection, before his face breaks out into a grin. Despite all of the craziness, it has actually been a good night for him.

When Tim gets back to the team's headquarters, he wants nothing more than to take a shower and enjoy a little down time before the team gets back from their mission, but the moment that the computerized voice dies down after stating his call sign and number he's practically thrown to the ground by both M'gann and Robin tackle hugging him. "Whoa, what did I miss?"

M'gann is the first to release him before backing off a step or two. "We thought you disappeared...that you went back home without saying goodbye."

Robin takes another moment to let go of him as well, but unlike M'gann he doesn't take a single step away. "Where were you?"

Tim's not really sure how Dick is going to take the news that he was in Gotham. He hopes that they don't end up having a massive confrontation in front of the entire team. After all, those types of conflicts rarely go well when metas get involved. "There was an Arkham breakout. Batman needed some help detaining a few of the more problematic escapees while he tracked down Killer Croc, so he asked for my help." It's the most diplomatic way that Tim knows how to phrase it, but he still braces himself for the fallout.

Robin stops and stares at him. "Whoa, he trusted you enough to go after the other Arkham criminals by yourself? That's so cool. Who did you take down?"

Tim lets out a small sigh of relief at the fact that Dick seems more interested in the action than in any insecurities he might have, and then he allows a tiny, almost imperceptible smile onto his lips. "Poison Ivy, Joker, and Mad Hatter. Batman is still dealing with Clayface and a few other small timers."

Dick looks as though he's about to start bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet as he practically drags Tim over towards the couch. "Aw man, you've gotta tell us all about it."

Tim glances around and suddenly the entire team is surrounding the couch and staring at him intently. Kaldur gestures for him to speak. "It would be interesting to hear, and we might learn something from your tactics."

Tim doesn't really know how much they can learn. It wasn't as though he tactically found Joker or the Mad Hatter. He mostly just stumbled upon them. Hell, it was more luck than anything else, and he's pretty sure they're expecting to hear a story with a little more finesse to the fighting style beyond hit hard and fast. He shrugs and tries to appear as boring as one possibly can. "There's not much to tell actually. Everything went fairly smoothly, all things considered." Besides, no one needs to know that he found a very young version of one of the brothers who frequently tries to kill him.

Kid Flash, who is sitting on the floor in front of Tim, seems absolutely devastated at the fact that that's all of the information Tim is willing to give. He starts nudging Tim's foot, trying to get more out of him. "No way. Come on, man. You've gotta tell us everything. You fought Poison Ivy for heaven's sake. That had to have been at least slightly interesting."

Wally waggles his eyebrows in a very obvious way, and Tim can't help but shake his head. "Not really. I gave her a choice to walk away from the park quietly. She chose not to. The fight ended fairly quickly, all things considered."

Superboy's brow furrows at that, obviously confused by Tim's decision. "You gave her a choice to walk away? Why?"

Tim huffs out a breath at that. He really wasn't expecting that question. Maybe they truly could learn something from him rehashing his night, after all, or at least Superboy could. "Because she deserved the opportunity to walk away." At the disbelieving expressions that he receives all around, Tim sighs. "Look, Ivy is still nefarious, don't get me wrong, but more than anything else she cares about the well being of her plants, which means that as long as you give her a reason to believe you're serious about letting her 'babies' live unharmed she can be reasoned with." 

M'gann floats over to sit in the vacant seat on the other side of Tim. "If that's the case, then why did she still fight you?"

Tim shrugs, and then settles more comfortably onto the couch. It doesn't look as though he's going anywhere any time soon. He mourns the loss of a shower, but it'll be there once this conversation is over. "I would presume it's due to the fact that I'm new around here. The Ivy from my world knows that I'm sincere when I tell her that as long as her plants don't pose a threat to anyone they won't be harmed. This Poison Ivy hasn't had the opportunity to trust someone like me yet."

Robin turns in his seat on the couch next to Tim to face him more fully. "So, you're saying that Batman is wrong to go in flamethrowers blazing when we deal with Ivy?"

Tim shakes his head. He was really hoping to steer clear from the 'how often do you disagree with Batman' conversation for the duration of his stay here, but Tim does actually know better than to hope for such things. "It's a case by case basis. Depending on what Ivy is up to, how many people she is putting in danger, and how many people she intends to harm sometimes it's better to just hit her where it hurts."

Dick takes a moment to think that over before nodding once. "That makes sense."

"I assume your encounter with the Mad Hatter went a bit differently."

Tim can't help but grin at Kaldur. Clearly, he is desperately trying to keep this conversation on track, and it makes Tim want to laugh. He knows what it's like to be surrounded by people who love to get off topic. He inclines his head, before allowing himself to show his chagrin. "Well, yes, I think it's fair to say that. I knew where to find Ivy. After all, it's pretty obvious. There's only so many places for a plant loving individual to go in Gotham, but I had no idea I was going to stumble upon the Mad Hatter when I did."

Tim tells them about the entire encounter, and he's honestly a little surprised when they don't mock him for stumbling onto that particular individual. However, he is caught off-guard when M'gann holds up a hand to stop him. "Wait, I don't get it. Why did he need the money if he already had his Alice?"

"The chemicals that he needs to control people are expensive, and I got the impression that that particular woman wasn't very susceptible to the Mad Hatter's charms. Anyway, what about you guys? Tell me about your mission."

"It went well. Everyone performed admirably." Kaldur is the first one to speak, and he's smiling at each and every one of his team members with great pride.

Wally is grinning just as wide as ever as he smacks Tim's leg. "You should see what I brought back for the trophy room. It's pretty sweet."

Tim reminds himself to have a talk with Black Canary about Wally's trophy obsession. It's just a bit too "serial killer" for Tim's comfort, but, then again, Bruce has an entire section of the cave devoted to trophies, so he guesses there's not much that he can say on the matter. Still, it might be prudent of him to at least keep an eye on Wally. The boy could definitely use some manners if his eating habits are anything to judge by.

Robin is the next one to chime in excitedly. "It was actually really fun. It was just supposed to be a recon mission, but then this gang started trouble, and we actually all worked really well together."

Tim smiles a little brighter at that. It's good to hear that the team is finally starting to act like one. "That's all great to hear."

Even Superboy looks pleased with himself when he tells him, "And I didn't even accidentally demolish anything."

Tim can't but laugh at that. "Well, that's good." He then turns to M'gann. "You're awfully quiet about the mission. Did something happen?"

M'gann shakes her head. "No, no, actually it went really well."

Wally nudges her leg. "Stop being so modest. You were awesome. She totally took out five gang members all by herself. It was amazing."

M'gann laughs at Wally's praise. "It wasn't that special."

Superboy shakes his head at her. "I thought it was pretty cool."

M'gann blushes slightly and inclines her head. "Thank you."

Tim figures now is as good a time as any to escape. He stands abruptly and stretches. "Well, I'm going to go get a shower, and then head to bed. You guys have a good night."

He doesn't get a chance to get away before Robin has a fistful of his cape. "We're actually planning on having a movie night if you want to join us after your shower."

Tim pauses and glances around at all of their genuinely hopeful faces. He's not really that tired, and it's not as though he's used to going to bed this early anyway. With a lack of a good reason to tell them no, and their downright puppy dog eyes, Tim inclines his head, and mutters out a small, "Sure, why not?"

He makes his way over to the door, and doesn't miss the resounding, "Yes!" as he heads toward his room and the awaiting shower.

The End (for now)


	10. Chapter 10

Tim is once again sitting in the library with about three different books opened to various pages lying out in front of him, but this time he's not focused on a single one of them. Instead, he's staring at the little toy soldier he got from Jason over a week ago, which is sitting on top of his notebook, while he fiddles with his comm. He hasn't heard a single peep from the communicator that he gave Jason, and Tim honestly isn't sure if that means that there hasn't been any trouble or if that means Jason tossed the thing out of defiance. He really wouldn't put it past the kid.

Tim sighs to himself as he tucks the tiny plastic figure back into the pocket of his belt where he's taken to carrying it around, and considers checking up on the kid. He technically could if he wanted to. Since the night he helped out with the Arkham escapees, Tim has permission to come and go as he pleases. He hasn't taken advantage of that privilege, however. He doesn't see a reason to. After all, it's not as though there's anywhere for him to be or anything for him to do. He figures his time is better spent here trying to find a way home. Tim still hasn't figured out who he's going to transfer the Jason issue to once he finds a way back, but he'll work on that later. Right now, he has to pack up his things and meet the team for another training session. It's something else to focus on, and Tim is grateful for it.

When he walks into the training room, Tim is pleased to see the whole team ready to go. He glances toward Kaldur, who seems to have gathered the whole team around him. Tim's not sure what they're discussing, but it's good to see Kaldur looking confident in his role as leader. He's not really in any rush to get this training session started. After all, none of them have anything planned for today, and the longer Tim spends with them here, the less time he'll spend in the library obsessing over trying to find a way to send himself home.

It's not long, however, before Kaldur notices him leaning against the door. "You could have interrupted. We were merely discussing what movie we should watch tonight and how to convince you to join."

Tim smiles at Kaldur's honesty, while the rest of the group looks mildly annoyed with him. "I don't actually have anything planned for this evening, so as long as you guys don't let Wally pick the movie, I'm game."

The whole team readily agrees with the exception of Wally, who definitely appears to be affronted by the conditions. "Hey, what's wrong with my movie picks?"

Tim stares at him impassively. "There are only so many times I can handle watching Spaceballs."

Wally petulantly folds his arms over his chest. "Spaceballs is a great movie."

Tim nods. "Yeah, it is, but only the first twenty times."

Robin grins brightly up at Tim from his seat on the floor, and Tim wonders if it says something about how long he's been here that he barely compares him to his own Dick Grayson. "It's okay. It's Superboy's turn to pick anyway."

Wally sulks even further with that news. "Great, more nature documentaries."

Superboy shakes his head. "Nah, the last one had monkeys in it. I've moved on to astronomy documentaries."

Wally rolls his eyes. "Oh, that's even better. Tell me it's at least narrated by someone interesting."

Superboy just shrugs, looking like he doesn't understand what Wally means by 'someone interesting', and that's when Tim decides to take over this conversation before a fight can break out. "I actually like documentaries. I look forward to whatever you pick, Superboy, but right now we should get to work."

Robin jumps to his feet and rubs his hands together. "Alright, what do you have in store for us today?" He seems genuinely excited, which is always refreshing to see, especially when compared to the rest of the team's groan.

Tim can't help but laugh at Dick's enthusiasm. It's so much like his big brother, and yet so different, that Tim often has to remind himself that this isn't some crazy de-aging spell and he can't just blurt out 'are you ever going to grow up?' because this Dick Grayson is, in fact, thirteen. "Okay, we're going to be working on team building, which means each one of you will be limited in some capacity. Also, some of you have been working on different things with me individually, and today I'd like to see you guys use those things together."

They all glance at each other uncertainly for a long moment before M'gann smiles reassuringly at the team. "We can do this, guys. I'm sure it'll be great."

The others don't seem convinced in the slightest, but no one says anything negative, so Tim counts it as a win. He claps his hands together once to get their attention. "Kaldur, for today's exercise, you'll only be allowed to use your bo staff...no other weapons or magic." Kaludr nods and goes to retrieve his practice staff. Tim turns his attention to the rest of them. "Robin, you're prohibited from using your right arm and projectile weapons. Wally, your left leg is out of commission from this moment on. M'gann, you won't be allowed to fly or use any form of telepathy or shape shifting. And finally, Superboy, for today you can't leap anything higher than Robin and you'll be caring around this," Tim holds out an egg, "in your left hand." He then turns to address all of them. "You'll be running through the obstacle course I set up earlier. If the egg is damaged or anyone breaks the perimeters that I have set out, you all will start back at the beginning of the course. The training session ends when all of you make it to the end of the course together."

Superboy stares down at the egg in his hand with a nervous expression. "You hate me, don't you?"

Tim pats him on the shoulder awkwardly. "You'll be okay. You've been doing really well in our sessions."

Superboy doesn't look reassured in the least. "I still pulverize fruit."

Tim shrugs. "Only when you're really frustrated. Trust me, it'll be fine."

Superboy sighs before glaring down at the egg lying in his palm. He scowls at it the entire way to the start of the course. Once Kaldur comes back with his staff in hand, he turns toward Tim. "When would you like us to start?"

Tim shakes his head and raises both of his hands, pushing them away from himself. "They're your team. You instruct them when to start and how to move. I'm just here to give suggestions."

Kaldur wearily glances at the course before turning back towards his team. Tim has to admit that he's a little proud of this particular training exercise, specifically this course. He set it up with both offensive and defensive obstacles for every member, and he's particularly fond of the sandbags ready to take out anyone who doesn't watch their step after the climbing wall and tire barrier. It won't be easy for them to get through this course, especially if they don't work together to do so. Tim sits down and watches as Kaldur starts giving out orders. The tactic is a good one and if everyone does what he says they'll make it a third of the way through the course before Kaldur will have to change his plan of attack.

Tim doesn't foresee them getting that far, though, especially when Dick forgets to give M'gann a heads up when he crosses over the high beam and the two go careening into each other. They both hit the mats below hard, but neither one of them breaks the rules, so Tim stays silent as he watches them try to figure out how to get back up onto the beam. It's too high for M'gann to just jump up, and, while Dick could easily flip back onto it, without the use of his arm he can't pull M'gann up. Tim is two seconds away from reminding Dick to communicate with his teammates when Kaldur does it for him. It pleases Tim immeasurably to see them reminding each other of such things.

Kaldur directs Superboy to go help M'gann, which frees up Robin to flip back onto the beam and make his way over to Wally, who Superboy was helping to get across the hanging net over the pool of water. That's another aspect of this exercise that Tim's quite pleased with himself for…mainly because of how much time it took to set that particular obstacle up. After all, cutting the various gaps into the net was a tedious process. He considers mentioning something about those gaps to Robin and Wally, but he figures it's a little too late for that when Wally's left leg falls through one of the gaps, and in the struggle to remove his leg twists the net so that both Dick and he fall into the water below.

They both get to their feet immediately, allowing the water to run off of them in rivulets, before glaring up at Tim. "Did you seriously put glitter in the water?" Wally's face is an angry red, while Dick is quietly laughing.

Tim merely shrugs. "I thought it would be a nice incentive to keep you guys focused."

Wally huffs as he hops on his right foot, to keep from breaking the restrictions. "I swear you're absolutely sadistic."

Tim smiles sweetly, which seems to only enrage Wally further. "I do try. Now, I suggest you two find some way to get back up onto the net without using your leg or arm."

Both of them groan and start looking around for the easiest way to get back up. Robin turns around a few times before turning an irritated glare onto Tim. "You know, when you said you wanted us to work on team building I honestly didn't expect something so…involved."

Tim smirks evilly at him. "Sorry, Rob, but I was taught to expect the unexpected and work around all normal limitations."

Dick grins back before making a run for the nearest pole that's holding up the net, jumping and using his one arm to shimmy his way back up to the net. He leaps up to the underside of the net, latching on with his left hand, and swings his legs back and forth until he has enough momentum to propel himself up over the side of the net, so that he's topside. Dick climbs over to where Wally is standing underneath the net and glances down to him. "Do you think you can hop over to that pole and shimmy your way up to the net? I can probably help you up from there."

Wally peers over at the pole in question before turning his gaze back to Dick. "You're joking, right? I spend my time running…not lifting weights. I don't have that kind of upper body strength, and certainly not without the stability of being able to wrap both legs around the pole."

Dick huffs out a breath of annoyance. "Well, then maybe you should work with Red Robin on that."

Tim can't stop himself from barking out a short laugh, and Wally whips around to glare at him. "You're enjoying this far too much over there."

Tim just shrugs. "What can I say? It's amusing." He ignores whatever comeback Wally comes up with in favor of checking out how the others are faring. Superboy, M'gann, and Kaldur seem to be doing well with the undulating ropes. Kaldur is carrying Superboy, who can't swing from rope to rope and hold the egg at the same time, and they all seem to be making good progress. At least, that is until M'gann's hand slips. She lets out a scream, which causes Superboy to reflexively clench his hand shut, thus smashing the egg and getting it all over himself as well as Kaldur, and without thinking M'gann saved herself from the fall by hovering in the air. Tim whistles loudly to gain everyone's attention. "Superboy crushed the egg and M'gann broke the no flying rule. Everyone move back to the beginning of the course."

There are simultaneously five very distinctive moans as they all make their way back to the other side of the room. Tim hands Kaldur and Superboy a towel to wipe themselves off with, before giving Superboy another egg. Tim expected there to be a lot of eggs lost in this endeavor and made sure to bring a couple dozen. He just hopes that it's enough. Superboy holds the egg as delicately as possible while he stares at it like it's going to explode at the slightest touch. Tim pats him on the shoulder. "You got pretty far before M'gann's scream startled you."

"Yeah, I guess." Superboy is still staring at the egg like it's the bane of his existence.

Tim gives him a sympathetic grin before gesturing to Kaldur to instruct his team. Kaldur squares his shoulders and takes a deep breath before addressing each member. "Robin and Kid, try to stay away from the net…with both of you down a limb you won't be able to get across without causing the other to fall. M'gann, remember to just let yourself fall."

M'gann nods before rolling her shoulders. "Right, sorry about that."

Kaldur puts his hand on her shoulder and squeezes once before letting go. "It's alright. I know it's just instinct, but try your best."

She gives him a small shy smile. "I will, promise."

Kaldur faces Superboy next. "You did fairly well, but remember to keep the egg safe, no matter what."

Superboy huffs out a breath. "Easier said than done."

Kaldur glances back over to Tim, who has resumed lounging by the door, and then gives the signal for everyone to move. They don't even make it to the third obstacle before Wally forgets what he's doing and uses both legs. Tim calls them all back to the start, and settles into his position by the door. He knows that this is going to be a long training session, and he doesn't expect them to progress very far for at least another four or five tries. After all, they haven't even gotten to the obstacles that will require them to dodge and defend themselves while they make their way today the end of the course. However, they are doing exceedingly well considering all of the restraints he's given them.

On the next try, Kaldur misses an opportunity to use his bo staff, which is collapsed and in the holster on his leg, to block a wayward Robin, who's overzealousness on the high beam causes him to careen into Superboy, thus breaking the egg once again. Tim once again whistles to call them all back to the beginning. They set up to go again, and Tim can see how this exercise is starting to grate on all of their nerves, but he knows it's a necessary evil, so as he passes Superboy another egg and ignores all of their grumbling.

This time around M'gann is in charge of getting Wally across the obstacles that he can't hop his way through, which seems to be working well for them. She doesn't have the strength to just carry him like Superboy or Kaldur, but Wally is a speedster and as such isn't extremely heavy, all things considered, so him leaning on her isn't the greatest hindrance that they have to deal with. However, Dick seems to keep forgetting that not everyone was raised in a circus, and therefore the rest of the members of the team really can't just twist midair to land on impossibly high objects. He keeps leaving at least one member stranded, which Tim can tell is going to be their downfall this time.

It isn't long before Tim's hypothesis is proven correct. In fact, the third time that he leaps over something, expecting the person behind him to simply follow suit, it's Kaldur, who ends up stranded in the middle of the sandbag obstacle. He takes a hit that knocks him off of the tire he's standing on, and without a second's hesitation Kaldur uses his bo staff to keep himself from falling all the way to the floor, which Tim is actually pretty impressed with, but the moment is shattered when another sandbag slams into the bo staff, and Kaldur immediately uses his hydrokinesis to save himself. Tim whistles again, and the others head back to the start once again.

Kaldur stares at his team forlornly. "I apologize. It was a natural reaction."

M'gann nudges him with her elbow. "It happens."

Robin rubs the back of his head sheepishly. "Actually, I think that round was my fault. I keep forgetting that you guys aren't able to just flip over stuff like me."

Tim grins at Dick realizing his own mistake. They are all getting better, whether they know it or not, and he's just about to tell them so when his communicator goes off. The entire team turns toward the sound of the small, unfamiliar beep, but Tim merely holds up a hand to signal for them to stay put. "Red Robin here."

The voice on the other end is young and unsure. "Um, you said to call if there was trouble, and I doubt you can help, but…you said to call, so this is me calling."

Tim is honestly shocked that Jason's contacting him, but he keeps his voice even as he responds. "Where are you?"

Jason pauses for a moment, and Tim is two seconds away from demanding an answer when the kid squeaks out. "Home…I'm home."

Tim wants to sigh in relief, but instead he simply does a mental check of his equipment. He's just happy that he always trains with the team in full uniform. "I'm on my way." He cuts the connection before turning back toward the team. "I'm needed elsewhere." Tim doesn't bother to answer any of their questions before making his way to the Zeta-Tubes. He just hopes that Jason hasn't gotten himself in over his head or anything.

The End (for now)


	11. Chapter 11

He's running as fast as he can across rooftops, trying to get to Jason as quickly as possible. Just this once, Tim wishes he had asked for details. He hates walking into the unknown, but he didn't want to alarm the team. After all, Tim really didn't think having a bunch of meta humans and Robin descending on Jason's rundown apartment was a good idea. Most kids probably would have been ecstatic to see all of the teen heroes, but Tim is fairly certain Jason isn't one of them. He gets to the apartment building where he had walked Jason to the week before and does a perimeter check before making his way up the outside of the building to the correct window. Making sure to stay out of sight, Tim glances through the uncovered window into the dim apartment. There doesn't seem to be anything amiss, and Tim really doesn't want to startle Jason, so he knocks lightly three times on the windowpane.

He can hear shuffling from inside before Jason's young face is staring at him in astonishment. He gestures for the boy to open the window, and Jason complies almost immediately. The moment the window is open, Jason steps aside to let him in. "Jesus, you're creepy. Who the hell uses windows, you nutter?" Once Tim is fully in the window, Jason busies himself with closing it and locking the little black plastic latch at the top. "And…you came."

Jason sounds honestly surprised that Tim showed up, which probably says far more about the boy than Tim ever wanted to know. "Windows are the best point of entry to any building. Even Batman thinks so, and of course I came. I said I would, didn't I?"

Jason shakes his head as though he can't really believe what he's seeing. "Yeah, but people say shit like that all the time. It don't mean squat."

Tim sighs and mourns the fact that he can't run his fingers through his hair with the cowl on. "First, no kid your age should be using that kind of language, and second, it's 'it doesn't mean squat'."

Jason shrugs. "Whatever, I didn't call you here for a lecture and a grammar lesson, smarty pants."

Tim ignores Jason's jibe as he sets his jaw. "Why did you call me, Jason?"

Before Jason can say anything the window explodes as a body crashes through it and there's the sound of glass shattering. Tim immediately dives on top of Jason, making sure that his cape is completely protecting them both from the shards. He doesn't even get a second to register what just happened before a very familiar voice is scolding him. "I can't believe you ditched us for this kid. How the heck did you even meet him? You've only left the HQ once."

Tim shakes out his cape as he stands and faces a very angry looking Robin - keeping Jason behind him - and reminds himself to schedule more training for Dick. Clearly, they need to work on why it's a bad idea to rush in without all of the facts first. "Should I even bother asking how you found me?"

Dick honestly looks smug as he crosses his arms over his chest, and Tim can feel Jason tensing behind him. "Batman had me put tracers on your suit the first time we sparred. I hacked them and followed you."

Tim sighs heavily. He really should have seen that one coming. It's what he would have done, after all. "Of course, you did, but why did you follow me?"

Dick's cheeks color slightly, and he actually looks a bit sheepish now. "I…I thought B needed help and called you instead of me." The admission makes Tim's stomach roll, and he reminds himself to have a long talk with Dick once this is all over. "But that still doesn't explain who the kid is or how you met."

Tim steps aside, allowing the two boys to see each other fully. "Robin, this is Jason. I saved him from The Joker last week and he needs my help again, which is why I'm here."

Dick's eyes obviously widen behind the mask, and he suddenly looks quite embarrassed about all of this. "Um, hi, sorry about your window, but whatever's going on we'll be happy to help."

Tim's about to protest, but he doesn't have it in him to send Dick away, especially not if he's so worried that Bruce is going to replace him, and Tim figures it might be nice to have some backup for a change. Jason, on the other hand, doesn't seem all that impressed with Robin, and merely glares at him. "Right, sure, like you're really going to help."

Tim interjects before the two of them can get into a fight. He kneels down in front of Jason and grabs a hold of his shoulders. "Hey, I promise I'll do everything I can to help you, but you have to tell me what's going on, okay?" Jason is still staring at him skeptically, so Tim digs into one of the pockets on his belt and pulls out the toy soldier. "I promise to keep you safe, just like I promised to keep him safe. Got it?" Tim tucks the little figurine back into his belt as he waits for Jason's answer.

Jason nods before biting his lip and he looks really damn anxious, which in turn makes Tim nervous. If the boy got himself into something big, he might have to call in the rest of team, if not Batman himself. Jason breathes out a heavy sigh before setting his shoulders. "It's…it's my mom. She's been missing for a week. I checked her normal haunts and asked around to the other girls, but no one's seen her. I even went down to the clinic, but she hasn't been there in a month. I don't know where else to look, and this isn't like her. Sure, she's disappeared for a few days before, but never this long, and…and you have to find her."

Tim doesn't get a chance to say anything before Dick wraps his arms around Jason in a bone crushing hug. "Don't worry. We'll find her. I promise." He pauses for a moment before continuing. "And I'll have that broken window fixed, too."

Jason instantaneously goes stiff in Dick's arms - not that Dick seems to notice - before he numbly nods his head. Tim gets to his feet and instantly starts examining the apartment. "When and where was the last time anyone saw your mother?"

Jason blinks a few times before answering, and then tries to pry Dick off of him to no avail. "Um, Gale said that she saw her come into the convenience store down on 7th last Friday night, but no one has seen her since."

Tim hums to himself while he catalogs everything that he can see from his position in the middle of the bedroom, and gestures for Dick to let Jason go. There's only one mattress with a sheet thrown haphazardly onto it on the floor and a pile of patchwork blankets in the corner next to numerous heaps of clothes pushed up against the wall. The clothes - from what Tim can tell - are mostly Jason's, but there are a few articles of his mother's mixed into the piles. The walls are bare with nothing but peeling wallpaper to decorate the room. "And when was the last time you saw her?"

Jason seems only too relieved to have Dick let him go, which makes Tim want to laugh, but he needs to focus on the job. "Friday morning before she went out for a pack of cigarettes."

Tim glances down at Jason, and doesn't bother to ask why Jason didn't call him sooner. Jason's used to not having his mother around. It's apparent from the state of the apartment and the fact that Jason is so self-sufficient. "Do you mind if I have a bit of a look around? I'm just trying to trace her last steps."

Jason shakes his head, and gestures for him to have at it. Tim heads straight into the bathroom first, taking note of the various pill bottles ranging from full to empty to nearly empty and their expiration dates. He recognizes most of the names on the bottles, and makes a mental note to look up the ones he doesn't. The cracked mirror on the front of the medicine cabinet has flecks of blood on it suggesting that someone's fist put it there. There's a single bottle of generic shampoo with matching conditioner in the shower with an almost finished bar of soap, and one towel hangs over the shower curtain rail. The curtain itself looks as though it's seen better days. The only window in the bathroom is too dirty and too small for anyone to have come or gone through.

Tim then checks the kitchen, taking stock of what's in the cupboards and how much food Jason has left. There's isn't much. He's pretty much down to a jar of peanut butter, some stale crackers, and a few expired canned goods. The kitchen is the only room that is relatively clean, suggesting that no one really uses it to cook, which isn't surprising. If Jason is left to his own devices more often than not, which is what the evidence suggests, Tim doubts the boy wastes much time on attempting to cook things, when he can just stick to simple things like peanut butter and jelly. Also, Tim doubts he often has enough food to make more than that.

Tim makes his way back into the bedroom where Dick and Jason are sitting on the beat up old mattress on the floor whispering to each other. He clears his throat to get their attention and they both stare up at him with big wide eyes. "Jason, I'm going to need you to write down all of the places that you looked for your mom, and anywhere that was ever important to her. I need to know where she would go if she needed to lie low for awhile and any of those types of places." He waits for Jason's nod, before he hands him a pen and paper. He gives Jason a few moments to compile his list, and when he finally hands the pen and paper back, Tim stares him directly in the eyes. "Now, I need to know if you have any friends or neighbors you can stay with until we find your mom."

Jason folds his arms over his chest indignantly. "I can take care of myself."

Tim smiles at him in a very disarming way. "I'm aware, trust me. But I don't feel right leaving you here by yourself, with a broken window, no less."

Jason huffs out a breath, evidently unhappy with the stipulations. "There's no reason for me to be a burden to my friends."

Tim shakes his head and sighs, but before he can protest Dick interrupts him. "If they're really your friends, then they won't see you as a burden."

Tim can't hide his smile, because it's just so very Dick. Of course, he always knows the right thing to say…no matter his age or what universe they're in. "Robin's right, you know? Now, do you have someone to stay with or…"

Dick jumps up at that. "Or we could take him back to HQ. I'd bet he'd love being around the team."

Tim rubs the back of his head as he tries to find a delicate way to let Dick down, but Jason gets there first. "Why the heck would I want to hang out with your friends? They're probably just as weird as you."

Dick doesn't seem to understand the problem with that and merely smiles. "Nah, they're weirder."

Tim shakes his head at both of them. "Jason can't come back to HQ with us. It's covert for a reason, remember?" Dick seems to deflate for a moment, before Tim continues. "But I'm sure you have a friend who would love some company his own age, right Robin?"

Dick's eyebrows furrow beneath the mask for a moment before he finally deciphers the meaning. "Oh, right, right. I do have a friend who would love to hang out with you, Jay. That is, if you want."

Tim doesn't know why he's surprised that Dick is already using a nickname for Jason, but it catches him off-guard, all the same, and Jason just stares at Dick skeptically, seemingly unfazed by the nickname. "One of your weird friends?"

Dick shakes his head. "Nah, he's pretty normal, all things considered."

Jason's eyes narrow at that. "What things considered?"

Dick laughs and pats Jason on the back. "Well, he grew up in a circus, so he's a little weird, but not the bad kind of weird."

Jason shakes his head and crosses his arms over his chest again. "Nah, I'd rather just stay here."

Tim heaves a large breath and lets it out slowly. "Well, that's not an option, and, since you aren't being forthcoming with a name of someone you can stay with, it looks like Robin's friend is the only choice."

Jason sighs and scuffs his shoe against his floor a couple of times before making his decision. "Mrs. Miller down the hall will watch me. She's offered before, but I can take care of myself."

Tim rolls his eyes at Jason, even though he can't see it. The kid's reiteration that he's self-sufficient is only one more reason for Tim to find him some place to stay. "Okay, well, let's go see if Mrs. Miller is home, shall we?"

Jason makes a fuss the entire way out of the apartment and down the hall, but once Tim knocks on the door of what Jason indicated to be Mrs. Miller's door, the kid instantly falls silent. After a few moments of waiting, the stained and warped wooden door creaks open to reveal a short, hunched over, woman with white hair. She has a crooked wooden cane and she glances up at Jason with a tired smile. "Jason, how are you doin', my boy? Haven't gotten yourself into any trouble, have you?"

Jason gives a small grin back. "Hi, Mrs. Miller. I'm fine, and no more than usual."

Before either of them can exchange anymore pleasantries, Tim clears his throat and smiles shyly at the old woman, trying not to startle her with the fact that two vigilantes are standing at her door - one that isn't even from this earth. "Hello, Mrs. Miller. I was wondering if you could watch Jason for a few days. He's all by himself right now and I don't feel right leaving him in an apartment with a broken window."

The woman tilts her head back far enough to see Tim's face, and, to Tim's surprised, doesn't even seem bothered by the fact that he's in full costume. It makes Tim question her eyesight, or wonder if she's just used to seeing the cape crowd around this area of Gotham. She nods before turning back to Jason. "And how exactly did the window get broken?"

Dick steps forward slightly as he flushes with embarrassment. "Um, that would be my fault, ma'am. I got a little overzealous while following my friend over there, but don't worry. I'm gonna fix it."

Mrs. Miller gives him a sharp nod. "You better, young man." She suddenly turns her attention back onto the center boy. "Now, come on in, Jason. I've got some fresh baked cookies that you and your friends can help me eat."

Tim smiles politely at the woman. "Actually, Robin and I should be on our way, but thank you for the offer."

She shrugs as much as she can, hunched over the way that she is. "Suit yourselves. Come along, Jason. Tell your friends goodbye. I know you'll eat some of my cookies. You always do."

Jason shakes his head and waves his hands back and forth. "They're not my friends."

Dick huffs out a breath and punches Jason in the shoulder. "Of course, we're your friends. Now, go eat cookies while we go find your mom."

Jason shuffles inside of the apartment and waves at them both before shutting the door. Tim heads back into Jason's apartment, taking one final look around before turning to Dick and grinning. "So, are you ready to fly, Robin?" It feels weird saying it as opposed to hearing it, but Tim doesn't let that affect his smile at all.

Dick beams back at him brightly as he spreads his arms out while holding his cape to make it look like wings. "You betcha, Red Robin." He abruptly drops his arms and deflates slightly. "Although, I don't know how I'm going to explain that broken window to Batman."

Tim chuckles softly to himself. "Tell him it was an occupational hazard." They both laugh as the launch themselves out of Jason's broken window.

The End (for now)


	12. Chapter 12

The first place they start their search for Jason's mother is her last known location. It's standard operating procedure, and Tim is sure that he doesn't need to tell Dick where they're headed. After all, he's worked with Batman long enough to know how these things work, and Tim can't imagine the strategy is any different here. Dick, for his part, seems to just be enjoying traveling from rooftop to rooftop, and Tim doesn't have the heart to tell him to take things more seriously the way Bruce would. Besides, he's saving that for when their investigation really gets going, although, Tim's not exactly sure how long that's going to take.

Jason seems to have done a lot of legwork on his own, given that he has already checked all of his mom's usual locations. However, Tim's certain that he'll be able to persuade people into giving him information where Jason had failed. After all, people are far more willing to tell someone like him things that they would normally try to protect a kid from, and Tim knows the right questions to ask. Not to mention, having Robin with him is always a perk in this part of town. Tim watches Dick laugh as he tumbles through the air, and merely shakes his head at the kid's enthusiasm. It's not as if he's unaccustomed to Dick's particular brand of whimsy, even if he's used to it from a far older Dick Grayson. He ignores Dick's exuberance - just as he always does - in favor of focusing on the task at hand, but he's been having some trouble with that lately. After all, it's been a long time since he has had to work with a partner on a missing persons case, and even longer since he's had to deal with someone with Dick's energy levels.

Tim spends the entire journey to the Seventh Avenue convenience store desperately trying not to let his mind run wild with the possibilities of what could have happened to Jason's mother. He only knows a few details about the Catherine Todd of his world from the case files on the bat computer, but what he does know doesn't leave him with too much optimism about the possible outcome of this case. It's something that Tim hasn't ever really considered, but now that he may very well have to face breaking the news to a far-too-young Jason Todd that his mother has abandoned him for good this time or worse…well, Tim's not really sure what he's supposed to do. This is hardly the first time that he's had to work on an emotionally compromising case, but this is the first time such a case has involved so many possible complications.

When they get to the convenience store, Tim signals for Dick to follow behind him. He's actually caught off guard by the lack of argument. Tim is so used to dealing with a Robin who fights him at every turn that he's actually forgotten what it's like to work with someone who just follows their elder's lead. It's refreshing, but also makes him tense at the same time, due to the lack of familiarity. Tim forces himself to relax as much as possible while they wait for the last few customers in the store to leave. It isn't long before Tim sees his opening. He makes his way to the outside fuse box and flips the fuse for the lights. He loves it when things are this easy, which is something that doesn't happen very often back in his own Gotham. He can feel Dick behind him shifting from one foot to the other, clearly wanting to simply move already. Tim waits for the lone worker to lock the door as she makes her way to the fuse box, and once again reminds himself to work on Dick's patience during training.

The worker sighs heavily as she opens the fuse box, and that's when Tim makes his move. He signals for Dick to follow him once again, and the two of them drop down behind her, making sure to make enough noise to draw her attention. The woman spins around, evidently startled by their sudden appearance. Tim made sure to land to the side of Robin, so she would have an unobstructed view of him. The recognition in her eyes and the sudden calming effect his presence has on her makes Tim want to smile. He clears his throat directing her attention to him, which causes her weariness to return tenfold. Tim holds up his hands in a pacifying gesture. "It's okay. We just have a few questions for you, Gale Hareston."

While Tim is glad that he took the time to do his research on the convenience store and Gale on his palm computer as soon as they left Jason's apartment, he wishes he had gotten more time to observe her; but Tim has a feeling that time isn't on their side. The fact that he knows her name doesn't calm her any, but she doesn't look ready to bolt, either, so Tim guesses it will have to do. "We're searching for a woman. Her name's Catherine Todd."

Before Tim can continue, Gale nods her head. "Yeah, I know Catherine. She ain't been in since last Friday. Her boy, Jason, he was in here a couple a days ago askin' about her, and I tell ya what I told him. I ain't seen her."

Tim ignores her suddenly belligerent attitude, which seems to be the standard response of any Gothamite, and presses on. "Any idea where she went after leaving your store?

Gale shakes her head, clearly annoyed by the interrogation. "Nah, I don't keep track a people once they walk out the door. I ain't runnin' a damn nursery."

Tim can't stop himself from rolling his eyes. He can tell that Dick wants to say something in response, but a sharp jerk of his hand is all it takes for him to keep Dick in check, and it makes him hate himself slightly. It's the gesture he most commonly uses with Damian, when he can tell the younger boy is about to launch into a tirade, but Tim figures whatever works right now will have to suffice. He'll apologize later when he isn't trying to get answers out of people. "Do you have a security camera that faces the street?"

Gale throws her head back and laughs. "You kiddin'? Course, I do. In this town, you gotta have your ass covered."

Tim manages not to sigh out loud in relief by biting the inside of his cheek. It's a start, even if he knows it could be a dead end. "Great, mind if we have a look at the footage from last Friday?"

Gale shrugs. "Whatcha gonna give me in exchange?"

Once again, Tim is relieved that he did his research before coming here. "Well, let's put it this way, either the police find out about the illegal fireworks you sell from a certain storage unit in Pennsylvania or they don't. It's entirely up to you."

Gale grumbles for a moment to herself as she folds her arms over her chest. "Fine, whatever. You gonna let me flip this fuse now or you got somethin' else ta say ta me?" 

Tim smiles sweetly. "Nah, you can just let us into your back room and I think that'll be all. Thank you for your time, Ms. Hareston."

She doesn't say anything, but Tim can tell that she isn't at all pleased with how her night has gone. Tim waits for her to flip the fuse and unlock the door to her back room for them. She doesn't offer to help Tim find the right footage of the right day, but it's not something he's unfamiliar with, and at least, for once, he has a second pair of eyes to help him. "Well, Robin it looks like we've got our work cut out for us."

Dick smiles at him brightly. "Dude, that was awesome…like Batman awesome."

Tim still isn't comfortable with being compared to Batman, not even after all of these years and how many times he's heard it, both as a compliment and an insult. "You know, I never get used to hearing you say that."

Dick's grin only seems to grow. "So, I take it your brother compares you to him a lot."

Tim nods as he surfs through various dates, looking for the right one. "Yeah, and he doesn't always mean it as a compliment." Tim can hear the sudden strain in his voice, so he does his best to cover it with a cough, though he's sure that he doesn't fool Dick at all.

Dick folds his arms over his chest. "Well, then he's wrong, because Batman is awesome and so are you."

Tim can't help but laugh. He wonders if his own Dick remembers ever being this enamored with Bruce. When Tim met Dick for the second time, it was as if being anything like Bruce was a sin to him, and, while Dick's attitude has certainly changed over the years, that certainly doesn't mean that he isn't aware of all of Bruce's flaws and, by extension, all of Tim's. Tim shakes his head. He's unwilling to inform this Dick about all of those possible changes. He clears his throat and tries not to focus on the disconcerting feeling of working with a thirteen year old Dick Grayson. "It's time to work, Robin."

Dick just nudges him with his shoulder and grins brighter. "See, just like Batman."

Tim decides to ignore him, and if Dick's smile is slightly off for the duration of their search for the proper footage… well, there isn't much Tim can do about that anyway. It takes them hours of sifting through footage of random people coming and going from the convenience store before they find something useful. There's a short image of a woman who matches Catherine Todd's description, fumbling with a pack of cigarettes, as she exits the store and heads towards the right down Seventh Avenue. It isn't much to go on, but at least they have a direction to go from here.

Tim gestures for Robin to make his way out of the little room and he follows suit. The knowledge that he's going to have to find buildings that have security cameras facing the street, and hope they still have any footage of Catherine Todd's route, and then find a way to access that footage without the help of Oracle is daunting and frustrating. Tim has always wondered how Bruce had managed to get along without Barbara constantly feeding him information before she became Oracle, and it looks as if Tim's about to find out.

He doesn't say anything as he makes his way down Seventh, knowing that Dick will follow him without question. It's odd to think that, for once, Dick's following him and not the other way around, but Tim keeps that to himself. He systematically checks every building for cameras that could possibly get a view of the street and makes a mental note of them. He'll need time to figure out the best way to break into each of the buildings in a timely and efficient manner. It isn't until he's reached the end of the block that Tim realizes Dick's gaze is following his. "So, which buildings do I get to break into, Red Robin?"

Tim smiles as he remembers that this Dick Grayson is just as computer savvy as himself. It'll be nice to work with someone who's on his level and doesn't want him to help with upgrades or feel the need to get back at him if he wins. The thought makes Tim smirk. "You get the left side of the street. We'll download the specs of the buildings, and then whoever collects the most images of Catherine Todd's path by the time we're both done wins."

Dick grins sharply at the challenge. "Oh, you think you can beat me? I'll have you know, I'm the faster hacker on the team. You'll still be standing outside your first building by the time I'm done."

Tim's smirk only grows at Dick's boast. "Correction, you were the fastest hacker, but this is my element."

Dick laughs as they both begin downloading the blueprints to their buildings. "Yeah, we'll see about that."

The moment they both have what they need, the two of them head in separate directions. Even with the challenge keeping them both moving quickly, it's still a long and boring process of searching through days worth of, more often than not, useless footage. After breaking into the various building and gathering the necessary data, Tim has only managed to recover a handful of images of Catherine as she made her way down the street, and what he does have only leaves him with a vague idea of where their search should continue. He's lucky that Robin was able to find footage from the building on the corner that had a clear shot of Catherine ducking down a side alley.

The two of them hit the rooftops this time, and Tim takes a moment to check the list Jason gave him. He pulls up a map of Gotham on his palm computer, and he's not the least bit surprised to discover that the alley Catherine apparently took leads to an old apartment complex that Catherine frequents. He's in the process of trying to decipher the most likely reason Catherine would visit this particular building and where their search should continue, when Dick nudges him with an elbow. "Lighten up, Red. I know you're sore that you lost the competition, but that's no reason to go all grim and Batman on me." He smiles brightly at his own joke, and it takes all of Tim's self control not to roll his eyes.

Tim doesn't respond, but mostly because he's not sure what he's supposed to say. It's been some time since he's had someone tell him to lighten up, and the last person to do so was his own Dick, but the situation was completely different. For starters, they weren't in the process of following a week old trail for a missing woman that could quite frankly set Jason down a path of utter destruction and death. Tim sighs heavily to himself while he attempts to block out those particular thoughts. It's not easy; however, because Tim knows the statistics. It's been over a week. Assuming that she hasn't just left Gotham… left Jason once and for all, the likeliness that she's alive isn't high, and Tim isn't sure what he's supposed to do if that ends up being the case.

At Tim's lack of response, Dick flips onto his hands and begins pacing the length of the roof, obviously bored with the older boy. Tim tries not to cringe at how familiar that move is, and how long it's been since he's seen Dick do it. It's a shock, really, to realize how little Tim had seen of his brother before all of this happened, and worse, how little he saw Dick relax when they did meet up. Not for the first time, Tim contemplates if, possibly, it would be better if he didn't make it home. After all, it would certainly cut down on the fighting Dick has to put up with.

However, Tim doesn't get much time to think about it, because Dick is suddenly beside him nudging him again. "Hey, what's up with you? Your face got all blank like Batman's when he's thinking about…about them."

Tim doesn't need to ask who Dick is referring to. They all know Bruce's expression when he's thinking of his parents, and Tim's not sure what it says about him that he apparently mimics that same facial expression when he's thinking of home. He shakes his head, and tries to give Dick a reassuring smile, even though he knows it falls flat. "Just…just thinking about my own Gotham."

Dick raises an eyebrow and he folds his arms over his chest. "I don't think that thinking of home should make you look like that."

Tim glances down to the ground ruefully before the two of them head further down the alley towards the apartment complex. "We have work to do, Robin."

Dick laughs loudly for a good long moment. "Man, you sure you're not B's bio kid or something?" 

Tim has to catch himself from nearly falling off the side of the roof when Dick's teasing question makes him stumble and still all over. He's certain that there's absolutely no way for him to cover that reaction, and he's just waiting for Dick's bombardment of questions, but what he gets instead is an arm wrapped around his shoulders and a tight squeeze. "You okay there, buddy?"

The arm is too thin, the height difference is all wrong, and the voice is too high, but the touch, the tone, and the phrasing is so much like his own Dick that Tim actually has to take a deep breath before he can steady himself. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just saw… something."

It's probably the lamest excuse Tim has ever given anyone, and that includes the time he told his dad he got a black eye from playing football, but Tim figures he's allowed to have a few bad lies in his arsenal. He just hopes that Dick will be kind enough to let it slide, but Tim has never been known for his good fortune. "What did you see?" It's evident that Dick doesn't believe him just by his tone.

Tim stares down at the front of the apartment complex, and nearly laughs. Things do sometimes actually work out in his favor, after all. He points at the northeast corner of the building where an obvious drug deal is going down. "It seems we may have found Catherine's motive for coming here, after all."

Dick's brow furrows at the possibility. "Do we have any reason to believe Catherine Todd is addicted to drugs?"

Tim takes a moment to consider how much he's willing to unveil to Dick, and decides that now isn't the time. "She had various prescription pill bottles in her bathroom, and a good portion of the pills were for pain…most of them were empty."

"And various drugs cause sensitivity to pain, but that doesn't mean…"

Tim holds up his hand to stop Dick from continuing. "Right now, this is the only lead we have."

Dick nods once taking his statement for the command that it was. "Lead the way, Red."

Tim puts his hand up for a signal, but before he can do more than make a sweeping motion with his hand he stops, realizing that Dick won't know that particular gesture. It's fairly new, and the thought actually halts Tim on the edge of the building for a moment. He hadn't even been thinking about the signals he used earlier… not with how easily the two of them work side by side. He clears his throat, and it's just as much to get Robin's attention as it is to give himself a moment to collect himself. "You take the buyers. I'll take the dealer."

Dick nods once again, and they both leap off the building simultaneously. The fight is predictably short. There are two buyers, and Dick takes out the first one by landing on him, and then flips off of him to confront the second. It only takes him a kick and a punch, and the guy is down and out for the count, lying on the dirty pavement next to his comrade. As for Tim's fight, the dealer takes a few more hits than either of Dick's men, but it's nothing Tim didn't account for. He's actually a little impressed that the dealer tries to fight back, but Tim merely ducks under a sloppy punch and kicks the guy into the brick wall behind him.

Tim's bo staff is in his hand and pressed up against the man's larynx before he's managed to catch his breath from the kick. "We have some questions for you." Tim isn't used to doing this with so little information. He knows almost all of the dealers' names back home, big time and small, and he likes to use their names against them. The lack of knowledge in this instance leaves him feeling rather unprepared. He ignores the feeling, however, and motions for Dick to take up the space beside him. "We're looking for a woman." Dick pulls up a picture of Catherine for the man to look at. "I have a feeling you saw her last Friday."

The obvious recognition that flashes in the man's eyes doesn't go unnoticed by either of them, and Tim digs his bo staff just a little more into the man's neck. "She bought something off of you. What was it and where did she go after purchasing it?"

The man glares at both of them. "Fuck you!"

Tim shakes his head and glances over to Dick. "Why is it they never want to do things the easy way?"

Dick smirks evilly. "Maybe they're just all gluttons for punishment."

Tim shrugs. "Mostly likely." He gestures for Dick to move out of the way, and once he's sure he won't accidently clip the boy, Tim pulls his staff away from the man's neck and uses it to sweep his feet out from under him. The man lands on the ground with a loud thud, and Tim drives his foot into the man's gut. "Now, I believe I asked you a few questions."

There's a flash of panic in the man's eyes as he desperately tries to get away, but Tim kicks him again and places his foot right under his chin this time. The amount of dread in the man's expression makes Tim suddenly tense. It doesn't fit this situation…not if Catherine just bought something standard off of him and left. Tim's starting to feel uneasy about this entire encounter. "What did you sell her?" He has to know if it's the product making the man so edgy, or something else.

Tim's growl forces the man to stop and frantically look around, clearly searching for someone a bit taller and more bat-like. It takes Tim a moment to realize even Robin has frozen behind him. He ignores Dick for a moment to focus on the dealer still lying on the ground. He taps the man's head with the side of his bo staff just hard enough to get his attention. "I want answers now!"

The man shakes his head, and it's evident from his eyes that he's trying to talk himself up towards some kind of decision. Tim hopes the man is just convincing himself to answer, because he really hates the courageous ones. "What's it matter? The bitch is dead anyway."

He can practically feel Robin shifting behind him, getting ready to do… something. Tim's not entirely sure what. If it was Damian, Tim's sure he'd be getting ready to pounce on the man and beat him until he was bloody, but Tim doesn't have the knowledge base to anticipate Dick's reaction for this particular situation. The lack of being able to predict Dick's moves is odd. It feels like Tim has spent his entire life calculating Dick's responses, and after spending weeks training the team, it seems like a gross oversight not to have this particular information. He holds out a hand and gestures for Dick to back off. He does so, but Tim can tell how reluctant he is and how apprehensive he is.

Tim glares down at the man in front of him. "What makes you so sure?"

The man laughs, suddenly emboldened by whatever he has to say, despite still lying on the ground with a boot to his throat. "'Cause I did it. I killed her and dumped her body in the dumpster down the block. Bitch didn't wanna pay, and now…"

Tim doesn't even think about what he's doing as he swings his bo staff down across the man's temple, effectively knocking him out. He just couldn't stand to listen to the man anymore. This is the worst case scenario that he's been trying all night not to consider. He doesn't know what he's going to do. There are too many variables and not enough information for him to know his next move. It isn't until he feels Dick's hand on his shoulder that Tim realizes he's just been standing in the same spot, foot still jammed under the dealer's chin, unmoving for however long it's been. Dick pulls him back and away from the man. "I called the cops. We should get moving."

Tim still isn't thinking about anything beyond making his feet move. They make their way to the roof, and Tim has to almost physically force himself to stay standing. Dick is just standing beside him, undoubtedly confused by his reaction. "Why are you so…?" Dick trails off as he gestures at Tim in general. "I mean, no offense, but this can't be the first time a missing person case has ended this way for you, so…"

Tim could lie. He could tell him that it's just because he's never had to tell a kid that his mother is dead before, but he just doesn't have it in him right now…not while he's still trying to figure out how he's going to approach Jason. He knows the kid well enough to know that if he isn't careful, Jason will run, and then they'll have to find him, and there are still far too many possibilities and not enough cold hard facts for Tim to work with. He shakes his head, trying to clear it and focuses on Dick for right now. "It's complicated."

Dick's eyes suddenly narrow as he pushes Tim hard enough that, if Tim hadn't seen it coming, he would have stumbled off of the roof. "How could it possibly be complicated? You don't even know this woman. You told me you only met that Jason kid last week because you saved him from The Joker, so why is it complicated?"

Tim has an overwhelming urge to rub his temples and sigh, but instead he folds his arms over his chest and stands taller. "Now isn't the time, Robin. We have to…"

Dick shoves him again, and this time Tim does stumble, but he manages to catch himself before he tumbles over the side of the roof. "I'm not going anywhere until you start giving me some answers."

Tim pinches the bridge of his nose. "Fine, but can we at least move to a different rooftop? The cops should be here any minute."

Dick nods and the two of them take off, with Dick leading the way. Tim doesn't know why he's suddenly so tense, but he has a feeling that he's not going to like wherever this night is headed. When the two of them are well over a block away from the apartment complex, Dick suddenly stops and spins around to face Tim with a sneer on his face. Once again, Tim finds himself near the edge of the roof, and he doesn't like it. "I can tell that there's a lot that you're leaving out. Every time you mention your Dick you get this weird, faraway, pained look, even when you're telling me how great of a brother he is, so, obviously, he's not that awesome. When you said you were close, I saw your face. I saw how blank it got. It was just like when you said you were thinking of home, and you shouldn't look that way when you're thinking of home or your brother… not… not if it's good. So, it wasn't true, was it? You two aren't really close at all, and… and everything you said is a lie!" Dick's seething, hands balled into tight fists and Tim isn't sure what to do. He didn't see this coming, although he guesses that he probably should have.

Tim shakes his head and takes a tactical step away from the edge of the roof. "I didn't lie to you about any of that. We are close and he is a great brother, but things have changed recently. We've been distant with each other, due to a multitude of reasons that really have nothing to do with this. My issues with him aren't yours and I don't have time to deal with this right now."

Dick sighs heavily as his shoulders slump inward. "Because we have to go tell Jason the news."

"No!" without even thinking Tim pulls out his bo staff, and blocks Dick's exist.

Dick's brow furrows at the sudden response. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

Tim heaves a large breath and holds it for the entire time that it takes to put his bo staff away, and then he releases it slowly as he brings his hands up in a mollifying gesture. "We can't tell Jason about his mother… not yet… not until I come up with a viable option."

Dick raises an eyebrow at him, evidently perplexed. "Viable option for what? What are you talking about?"

Tim wants to answer him, but he's already lost in his own thoughts. He doesn't notice at first when he starts pacing the length of the rooftop, but the movement makes him feel better. It gives his body something to do, while his mind races, trying to work out a practical solution. If he wasn't so caught up in trying to find the best resolution for a no-win situation, Tim would probably laugh at how he's seemingly picked up his Dick's bad behavior. It isn't until he feels two hands wrap around his arms and shake him that Tim realizes he's been completely ignoring Dick. "Would you just stop and answer me? Please!"

The desperation in Dick's voice is what finally gets Tim to stop and take another deep breath to calm himself before he faces Dick, who looks as though he's about two seconds away from trying to knock Tim out. "We can't just tell Jason about his mother without a reasonable plan of action."

Dick's mask does nothing to hide his widening eyes and his mouth just hangs open for a good minute before he's shaking Tim again. "What are you talking about? That isn't our problem. The Gotham Youth Services will find any other family he has or place him in foster care. Surely, these things work the same in your own Gotham."

Tim shakes his head as he pulls away from Dick's grasp. He immediately starts pacing again. "You don't understand. Jason doesn't have anyone else and he doesn't trust the system. If we walk in there without a viable option for him, he'll run, and then…"

"How do you know that?" Tim stops pacing at the interruption, but it's the harsh betrayal that he hears in Dick's voice that causes him to freeze all over. "How do you know what he'll do or what kind of kid he is? How do you know he doesn't have any other family? How do you know anything about him? You said… you said you only met him because you saved him. So, what is it? What did you see that I didn't? What did I miss? What was there that I just overlooked? What… what makes you better than me? Is it because you're so much like Batman? Is that what makes you better? You think like him. You act like him. You even have the same damn facial expressions. Is that why he likes you more?"

Tim doesn't know what to say to any of that. He feels like a fish out of water - one who just realized he isn't going to be kept as a pet, after all. He didn't foresee how protecting Dick from certain aspects of his home would somehow kick Dick's insecurities into overdrive, and he certainly doesn't know what to do about it. He's never had to deal with an under confident Dick Grayson, at least not when it came to his relationship with Bruce. He knows that it happen, and that Dick didn't always have faith in his place beside Bruce… beside Batman, but that was a long time ago. Tim's sure Alfred helped him with that a lot back then, but Tim doesn't have any idea what he's supposed to do without some Alfred level magic and cookies here. "You didn't miss anything. I promise you didn't miss anything, and Batman doesn't like me more than you. He just sees my potential and usefulness. That's all it is."

Dick just stares at him incredulously. "Then how do you know so much?"

Tim sighs heavily and resigns himself to having to reveal at least a few things. "Because I know the Jason Todd of my world."

Dick's eyes widen once again. "How… how do you know him?"

Tim rubs his temples and tries to think of the best way to put it. "He's technically our adopted brother."

Tim is expecting Dick to jump on his wording and start asking a multitude of questions that he most likely doesn't have the answers to. Instead, he gets a very excited Dick jumping up down. "Okay, problem solved. We just tell Batman who Jason is and that he has to adopt him, and I get a little brother and…"

Tim holds up his hand to stop Dick. "No, we can't. It…it doesn't work that way."

Dick stops immediately and petulantly folds his arms over his chest. "Why not?"

Tim sighs heavily and glances down at the ground. This conversation was never part of his plan, and he's not really sure how he managed to get himself ensnared in it. "Because I'm not even sure if B should adopt Jason."

Dick's stares at him in astonishment, and backs away from him. "What? How could you say that? He's your brother."

Tim shakes his head as he takes a step towards Dick, trying and failing to calm him. "You don't understand. There's a reason I said that he's technically our brother. You're just going to have to trust me. Jason being adopted by B may, in fact, be the worst thing for him."

"No, no, I don't trust you. I can't trust you. I don't understand how you could possibly think that. What could have possibly happened to make you think…?"

"Jason died, Dick. The Joker killed him after B adopted him." He didn't mean to say that, and he certainly didn't mean to use Dick's name out of costume, but it's better that he understands the full ramifications of things now.

Dick just stares at him, clearly not believing a word of it, but after a long moment Dick's shoulders drop and he glances up at Tim with the most lost expression Tim's ever seen. "What do we do then? What do we do with Jason?"

Tim merely shakes his head. He was never prepared for any of this, and he doesn't have any answers. "I wish I knew, Robin. I really do."

The End (for now)


End file.
